


October's Storm

by engineerLiger



Category: RWBY
Genre: Anxiety, Awkward Flirting, F/F, Fluff, Ladybug friendship, Lesbian Weiss Schnee, Post Highschool Graduation AU, Romance, Sibling Bonding, Yang and Blake look out for Ruby a lot, becoming an adult or something, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25734943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/engineerLiger/pseuds/engineerLiger
Summary: After graduation Ruby struggles to find a direction. Now that she is supposed to decide who she wants to be, she does not know what to do. As her friends all move on she seems to be left behind, dreading the changes this fall will bring about. During a rainy october day Ruby meets Weiss Schnee, a girl who has always known who she will be.Re-post, edit and continuation of October's Storm from ff-net. Originally posted during Volume 1 of RWBY
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 9
Kudos: 68





	1. Complementary

**Author's Note:**

> This was written originally in Volume 1 episode, I don't know...8? So, a lot of stuff is very wrong, Weiss doesn't have siblings, Taiyang isn't around. You know, stuff. I hope you enjoy this and maybe I could make a few of you smile with nostalgia seeing this old thing kicking around again. 
> 
> There is quite a few changes in the chapters, and quite a lot added what wasnt there before. As it turns out I changed how I write in the last 6 years or so. I am still no english native speaker though, so that hasn't changed. If anyone wants to help out on that front, I always appreciate it when I can fix mistakes.

Books and papers lay scattered across the kitchen table. Career advisers, ads, university guides, everything Ruby had found in the library not far from her home. She had raided the little info stand that stood crammed between tightly packed shelves in a windowless corner. She had scoured for any kind of advice book or pamphlet she could find. The table was barely large enough for the three headed family to have a comfortable breakfast. With her research spread across its surface there was now almost no space left for her mug, that stood carefully balanced on the edge of the tabletop.

The radio on the windowsill was playing some pop song with a layer of rusty static in the background. Ruby didn't care much for the song or the grating noise. They could have just bought a new radio, but her uncle insisted on keeping it. He’d had it since he got his first flat way back in – Ruby pondered for a while - well, quite some time ago, judging from the already yellowed plastic. The kitchen window, a tiny little thing, was tilted open. Little drafts blew through the grimy curtains, they were probably as old as the radio. The wind brought with it the soft smell of rain that had stopped not long ago, outside the sun was still dimmed by the heavy white clouds wrapping around it like a blanket. Ruby wished it would rain again, the gentle pitter patter of the drops against the window made for a more soothing noise than the sad static of the radio. A sigh escaped her lips as she repeatedly picked up one book, magazine, or flyer, skimped over it and then tossed it back on the table.

Frustration mounting, she stared at the wall in front of her. A few pictures were taped to the faded green wallpaper, some of the pictures were bit by bit inching closer to finally fall down and land on the dusty tiles. One of the pictures that threatened to become lose, was a few years old. Its were corners already crinkled. Her older sisters high school graduation. Ruby and her sister had posed with her diploma and a bouquet of roses. Beautiful orange ones, with a few deep yellow roses tugged in between. She remembered pricking herself on the thorns, a little drop of blood falling onto the green stems. It was a nice picture, but looking at it now, Ruby couldn’t help but stare at herself. She looked the same, the same oversized hoodies, the same red and black colors she still wore. Had she not changed since? It had only been months since her own graduation and she still had no clue what to do. It was already October, the time most folks were already starting their grand college adventures. Meanwhile Ruby didn’t even have an inkling let alone a direction. Her sister on the other hand hadn’t hesitated back then when she had graduated, she threw herself into her future with abandon. Even if she changed her mind every three months, at least she wasn't sitting around at home drinking cocoa with marshmallows, drowning in the sugary misery of having too much free time. Ruby hung her head and stirred in her 'Best Team Leader' mug, a present from her friends in summer camp last year. The marshmallows were soaked, and the brownish liquid had already gone stale.

When her sister Yang had graduated, she had thrown herself right into musical studies, switching styles and instruments, trying out everything she could during her time at college, and then only two months ago completely threw everything into the trash, saying she wanted to try something more practical. Promptly she got an apprenticeship at a local wind instrument workshop. It was way closer than the pretentious college, since it was just down the street . During her breaks she would come hang with Ruby, go out for a coffee, or annoy their friends at the café some of them worked part time. It seemed so perfect and Yang seemed so happy. Ruby only wished the best for her sister of course, but that didn’t quench the nagging feeling of jealousy.

She wanted to be content too. Or at least do something. Achieve something. In school everything seemed so easy; you wake up in the morning, go to class, grind through the lessons, go home, have fun with friends, play video games, forget homework, and repeat it all the next day. Looking at Yang, she felt like she was stagnating. Yang was making leaps to adulthood.

Ruby felt like she had to have some kind of plan for her life. She was a _leader_ , she was Yang's sister, she was someone, right? Sure, there had been plenty of times when she’d just act on impulse, throwing herself into situations without thinking and made a huge mess. But at least she was doing something then. Now she was sitting around in the kitchen, with the dirty plates from her 13 o'clock breakfast mindlessly thrown into the overloaded sink, wearing no more than a loose tank top and sweatpants. 'I have given up on life'-pants, as her friend Blake called them, affectionately, always with a small smile. The girl was a friend of Yang, they had met in college, but she had just seamlessly integrated herself into Ruby’s life, too.

Arms folded upon the scratched up wooden tabletop she buried her face in them. Ruby was about to just take a nap right then and there on the kitchen table in the middle of all those ‘How to Live Your Life’ guides, when her phone started vibrating. Ruby considered it for a moment. She didn't feel like she had the energy to reach over and see who wanted to disturb her well-earned midday misery break. Looking down at herself and her no-life-pants, she slapped herself on the knees with a sigh. She straightened her back and picked up the phone.

To her surprise, Blake’s number was on the display. It had been a while since Blake had contacted her. She’d been so incredibly busy with something, just Ruby couldn't quite remember what or if she had even been told. Was it Blake’s work at the library? That couldn’t have been it. But it also wasn’t like Ruby had gone out of her way to talk to her.

“Hey?” she spoke into the phone. The cold screen pressed against her face made her shiver.

“Hey, Ruby. It's me, Blake.”

Blake didn’t wait for a response before she continued.” Yang and I are going to have lunch at the plaza when she takes her break. You should come too. It's been a while,” she said. Her voice soft and quiet so that Ruby had to strain her ears to listen.

A quick glance at the clock informed Ruby that Yang's break would start shortly. “I just had breakfast...well, more like lunch I guess.” Ruby thought for a moment. “But yeah, haven't seen you around at all, so I'll still swing by! I'll just get ready.”

Blake never had been one for long phone calls and they would have time to talk enough during lunch. After a quick goodbye and once Blake had a hung up Ruby needed a moment, she stared at the tabled covered in pamphlets, none of them had been helpful. There was no use in moping around here any longer. Ruby nodded to herself and got up. It was time to get out of her no-life-pants.

It didn't take Ruby long to get going. She just hopped in the shower and grabbed the first clothes she could get a hold off – a skirt and a hoodie that were lying on her desk chair. She tore through her hair with a brush, almost ripping out a few of her red toned streaks. Glancing at the mirror she saw two small spots of toothpaste on her shirt ., Shrugging, she took her coat and backpack and left the apartment. The lights, of course, still left burning.

Once outside, Ruby took a deep breath. It had been two days since she left the small apartment that she shared with Yang and her Uncle Qrow. She was quite happy they lived in such a nice part of town. The buildings were all quite old, had nice ornaments, and inside they were all blessed with high ceilings. The path to the plaza had a natural stone paving that glistened in the sun, wet from the rain earlier. It always looked like an old fancy painting. It wasn’t surprising her Uncle was so taken with living here.

Being a weekday, it was mostly quiet, the kids still in school and parents at work. On the weekend the street would be full of people, bursting with life. The waitress at the countless little cafés would be scurrying around serving the customers outside, while family’s loaded with shopping bags and the occasional group of tourists would wander through the streets.

Ruby really liked her town. She liked the library, she liked the old folks who greeted her, she liked knowing the names of the cashier in the supermarket, she liked the weekly markets at the plaza. Even during this late rainy October day, the town seemed warm.

Many of her friends in school wanted to ‘go big’ (that was their way of putting it) and see the ‘real world’. Big cities, with lots of people, giant buildings, cinemas everywhere, arcades, clubs, bars, all that cool stuff. But for some reason Ruby didn't think she would even like those places all that much. She preferred the little old movie theatre that had only two showing rooms. It had its own charm, the seats were nice, and sometimes they would just let Ruby in for free. Being the best friend of the owner’s son did have some cool benefits. Jaune, a boy whose limbs seemed always a bit longer than he thought, would sneak her in from time to time. She was sure his parents were very aware of this, but it was fun to pretend.

Her town, as small and suffocating it might seem to some, was Rubys favourite place on earth.

The students that came to town commuting to the nearby colleges or attended the community college in town were less satisfied. They often complained that the theatre only showed boring movies, that there were only old people, or all the movies had been released last year. Ruby thought all of this was just fine. She didn't need much more than this. Her friends were here, Yang was here, Uncle Qrow was, sometimes, here. Sure it was a pain to have to take a half hour train ride to get to one of the bigger cities, and after eight o'clock there were rarely any busses running, but Ruby still loved it.

Even though she had spent the first four years of her life in Shenzhen, the connection to it felt vague. She barely remembered it – the only thing clear in her mind were her parents and some random Mandarin phrases in the back of her head. She tried to pick it up later, at Yang’s urging, but it just frustrated her. It felt like she had no talent for it. Shouldn’t she just naturally be inclined to speak it? Struggling with it seemed as if she was failing at being her parents daughter. So she stopped trying.

Ruby was a smart cookie, as Uncle Qrow used to say, but she was just incredibly lazy when it came to studying things that didn't interest her or frustrated her. Which mirrored itself on her grades, which were all pretty average aside for the one or two subjects she liked. At least it was like that after she skipped a grade and people had actually expected her to try. With the new expectations and older classmates she didn’t know, her grades had dropped from top of the class to average. Something that now, searching for a place to study or work, bothered her. Angrily kicking a pebble, she banned those kinds of thoughts. She needed to loosen up a bit and have fun, right?

When she reached the plaza she walked directly towards a little café. Ruby didn't know what it was called, because the green faded awning only said 'Café, Bistro, Restaurant'. Asking one of the waitresses what its name was always slipped her mind, though in the end it didn't matter. The cocoa they served was just the way Ruby liked it, the food was excellent, and the staff was nice. A friend who worked here was the main reason they even started coming. Nora, a bubbly girl her age, was a friend of Jaune and Ruby, and had been working there since they were sixteen. At the beginning they would only show up during her shifts, but after taking a liking to the café and its charms, they made it their usual place. The light always seemed a little warmer than at the other places and the soft cushions on the dark wooden stools had welcomed them many times after a long day at school.

As she entered a wave of warm air and the distinct smell of cheap pumpkin latte and other seasonal spices hit her. Ruby guessed they had to entice new customers somehow, and if she were honest with herself, if she ever started drinking coffee, she’d totally be the type to chug pumpkin spice latte on a daily basis. That’s what cool people did, right? Going by their favorite little café and getting their ‘to-go-cups’ filled with the magically brown brew that kept the economy and workers going.  
  


The café was surprisingly empty for lunch time, only a few groups were scattered around huddled around the tiny tables. Those unfortunate enough to have sat down close by the door glared at Ruby as a draft of cold air blew by them. Quickly she shut the door behind her, the bells tied to the frame ringing in her ears.

“Ruby!”

Nora completely forgot that she was taking an order from a tiny looking grandma and rushed towards Ruby. With equal enthusiasm Ruby greeted her back and hugged her friend. They parted after two short pecks on the cheek, and Nora quickly directed her, “Your sis is at the usual table in the back, I‘ll get your usual in just a sec!”

Then Nora dashed to the grandma, who was waiting with a bemused smile on her face. Taking off her rucksack and coat, Ruby approached her sister’s table. Even without Nora's direction she would have found her easily. The wild blonde mane always made her stick out like a sore thumb. Deep into the café, in an adjacent room right to the bar where the light of big chandelier like lamp started to become dingy and low, sat her sister on one of those uneven creaky old stools. The table, the one Ruby and her friends preferred, was situated slightly further from the other tables. Opposed to her sister on a small bench fixed to the wall was Blake. The dark haired girl played with a little plastic flower placed in the middle of the table while occasionally glancing up at Yang.

“Huh?” Ruby slowed down and took another look. Seated beside Blake was an unfamiliar girl. Hands folded in her lap, back completely straight and eyes half closed. Her presence was almost non-existent, next to Yang's loud presence and personality, which was usually the center of attention. Nevertheless there was something about her. Something Ruby couldn't quite name. It felt like she didn't belong here at all. It might have been the pale, almost colorless hair, which must have been at least as long as Yang's or Blake's, or the expensive clothes she wore, maybe it was the distant expression, or maybe the contrast, the quiet in light of Yang’s uncontrolled energy. Before Ruby knew it, she had stopped in her tracks and was silently watching the unknown girl.

Suddenly she felt inadequate in her hoodie and worn out skirt. The childish rucksack with stickers and buttons on it seemed a lot heavier. Ruby had never been shy or insecure, nothing like that really, but in a matter of seconds Ruby suddenly wanted to be back at home in her no-life-pants. She let out a heavy breath, lifted her foot and took a step forward, only to halt again.

Thankfully Blake, who seemed to be either bemused or bored by Yang's story – which was illustrated with violent hand gestures – noticed her. With a warm smile she waved her hand, which freed Ruby from whatever had taken possession of her. Easing up, she quickly hurried to the table. Yang ceased her antics, followed Blake's eyes, and then started waving too. Her waves were just a lot more...spirited, yes that was definitely the right word. Quickly hugging Blake, Ruby seated herself beside her sister.

“Sorry, I came as fast as I could,” she apologized, slightly bowing her head.

“Nah, nah, totes our fault. Thing was kinda on a whim." Yang shrugged, patting Ruby's shoulder apologetically. Blake gave an affirming nod.

“This is Weiss Schnee,” Blake explained with a smile. “She is the reason I have been so busy recently.”

The girl in front of Ruby looked at her. Her lips were slightly tugged upwards in a polite smile.

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” she said, her voice surprisingly clear.

From her looks Ruby would’ve guessed the girl was shy, but she met her with an unwavering gaze and a firm voice. Weiss Schnee's features, even graced when with a smile, had an edge to th em, one so sharp that Ruby had never encountered one quite like it.

“Ah, yeah! Me, too! I am Ruby!” A mix between a giggle and the soun d of being strangled escaped her lips.

Ruby didn't know why she suddenly felt so squirmy in her seat and had problems returning Weiss’s gaze. It might have been because she had spent the last few month mostly at home, not knowing what she should do with her life, but Ruby didn't think she had gotten _that_ awkward.

“So, cutting right to it. Blakey.” Blake raised an eyebrow, but Yang didn't care. “You wanted to wait until Ruby was here before you spilled the beans. So, what have you been up to?”

Yang either noticed Ruby's awkwardness or she was just being Yang, either way Ruby was thankful that the introduction seemed to be over.

Blake sighed and opened her mouth, but it seemed Weiss was faster. With a flick of her hair she explained, “'Blake-y' has been helping with my performance.” Ruby might have imagined it but the girl seemed strangely hostile, no, maybe dismissive was the right term. Yangs furrowed brows indicated that she had noticed it too.

“Yes, Weiss is holding a performance at the old theatre next week. I am accompanying her on the piano,” Blake continued with a smile, trying to ease the tension.

A slight “ah” escaped Ruby's lips. She had almost forgotten that Blake, too, had been into music – she and Yang originally had met during college, after all. Blake dropped out way earlier, saying that it just wasn't her thing and she just liked working with books better. It felt sudden, not only did she drop out, music had become something Blake didn’t mention anymore.

Yang slammed her fist on the table. The glasses atop the table shook with the impact, Ruby startled as Yang yelled: “What!?”

“Yeah,” Blake sighed again. She took another big breath, as if motivating herself. “But Weiss asked me to, and we have been friends for a long time.”

Yang didn't seem satisfied, she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She glared at Weiss, who just raised an eyebrow.

If Weiss and Blake had been friends for a long time, did Weiss come from around here? Ruby had never seen her, and she certainly hadn't been in her school. Sure, Yang and Blake didn't become friends until college, they hadn’t known each other before, had just missed each other so there was always that even in a small town like this. But Ruby doubted she wouldn't notice someone like Weiss. Ruby tried to estimate how old the girl was. She couldn't be much older than her, could she?

“It's going to be my last performance and I would not want anyone except for Blake at my side for this,” Weiss said. “I still think it's a waste you are not playing anymore. You have talent.”

Weiss looked at Blake, who didn't seem to mind her gaze, unlike Ruby. And then Weiss turned her head just a little and Rubys nd after a moment she came to realize that it _wasn't_ part of the girl's almost white hair, but a pale scar marking her face. Now that she realized it, the scar, which should have been hard to spot among the pale skin and hair, seemed so striking. It was now almost impossible to miss.

“I already told you, Weiss. It's my decision.”

“Yeah, who are you to get up in other people's biz.” Yang didn't even bother to hide how much she disliked Weiss. She never hide such things. Even when Ruby asked her to, and god knows how much Ruby wanted to ask her in this moment. Weiss looked scarier every second.

“I just think people with talents, that are free to follow their passions, should do so. And Blake is with no doubt gifted. Throwing that away is quite foolish.”

Weiss didn't even look at Yang, casually pulling strands of hair behind her ear. Yang was about to say something, something probably mean and something probably insulting. But suddenly Nora almost dropped a giant plate in front of her.

“No fighting, Yang. Or the next time you come here, I’ll spit in your drink.” Nora grinned from ear to ear.

Nora quickly served Blake her salad and something white, which Ruby suspected could have been Tofu once. She then ran to the nearby counter and brought their drinks, along with Ruby's cookie and an overflowing cup of cocoa with cream.

“Seriously, Ruby? Do you drink anything else anymore?” Yang huffed, looking to the side arms crossed over her chest. Either she was trying to prevent any of Nora's fluids getting anywhere near her drink, or maybe she really didn’t want to pick a fight right after meeting Weiss.

“Leave me be. I like it.” Ruby pouted and began nibbling her cookie. It wasn't like the whole soda bottles her sister usually consumed were much better.

“It's unhealthy,” Weiss said as she sipped her tea. Taking a quick look at the table she saw that the girl didn't put any milk or sugar in it. Weiss also seemed to look way more dignified with her drink than Ruby ever could. Looking at the cookie in her hand, she felt childish compared to her. The rucksack at her feet with some trashy fantasy hero novel and a game console in it didn't help much. Again, she wondered how old Weiss was.

When she put the cup down, Weiss continued.

“You don't want to end up with diabetes before leaving high school, do you?”

Ruby heard Yang and Blake giggle. A blush rose to her cheeks.

“I graduated a few months ago!” she cried, trying to defend herself. A bit too loudly, as a few guests turned their attention to the four girls, but Ruby didn't care. She felt embarrassed, and she had been self-consciousness enough the last few days. She skipped a grade, so naturally she looked young, right? So of course, Weiss would assume she was still in school. And plenty of adults liked a good cup of hot cocoa. There was probably no malice in it, she was sure, an honest mistake. There was no point in being embarrassed. It still stung though.

It wouldn't bother her usually, but for some reason she felt incredibly immature in company of Weiss. And she didn't like that. At all.

“Oh, I am sorry for assuming.” She wasn't. If she was, it didn't show on her face.

“Sure, no, yeah, whatever, it’s okay.” Ruby mumbled, eyeing her cookie, suddenly not sure if she wanted it. 

“How old are you then?”

Ruby didn't know if the girl was just trying to small talk or if she was actually interested. It was hard to read her, especially if one didn't dare to look at her properly. “I am turning 17 this month.”

“I see.”

With that, the conversation ended. Ruby wondered if she herself wanted to ask the other girl's age, but she couldn't really get words out anyway.

“So, what do you play?” Thank god for Yang.

“I sing. Classical trained.”

Ruby heard Yang go 'Ohhhh' in faked awe as they started to talk about some music stuff that left Ruby absolutely clueless. Some Italian sounding things were said, one of them might have been soprano, which Ruby thought was related to high pitch and opera. She tried to follow but the Italian terms got more distinct, more complicated and Ruby gave up when suddenly Weiss used German words. Though it ended with Ruby at least understanding that Weiss sang some thing but actually preferred to sing a different role? Ruby had no idea what any of the words meant and wouldn't even dare and try to pronounce them. She felt quite alienated between those three. The most she had to do with music were silly pop songs she sometimes danced to when nobody looked. Insecurity seemed to be following her around these days, always looming over her. Bored Ruby started playing with the fringes of the red table cloth, slowly twirling the lacey ends. It wasn’t like she could add anything to this conversation anyway. She was kind of glad when Weiss excused herself to go to the bathroom.

“So, what's up with her?” Yang asked as soon as Weiss was out of sight.

Blake shrugged. “What do you mean?”

“She acts all hoity toity and shit. And then forces you to play the piano again, for her own amusement.”

“She is not forcing me, Yang. She asked and I decided to go with it. It's not like I hate it”

Ruby pulled up her shoulders and tried to vanish into the chair as much as she could. Yang glared at Blake, who just returned the gesture with a raised eyebrow and took a bite from her salad. This seemed to remind Yang of the giant, though already cold, piece of meat on her plate, forgotten over a shared passion in music. With a huff she started cutting, almost ripping the meat into pieces.

Turning her glare to Ruby she then said, “And what's up with you!? Did you forget how to talk?”

Ruby looked around helplessly, not sure what to say. She never backed down, she would always find a thing to say and talk back. Qrow always said that sometimes she and Yang were both too headstrong for their own good, and he’d wondered out loud if maybe both girls were just stupid.

“Are you intimidated by the prissy girl? You usually never can keep your mouth shut but a stuck up rich girl suddenly gets to you?” Yang said, stuffing a way too large piece of steak in her mouth and gulping it down. Before more crass words, and tiny bits of half chewed steak probably, could fly out of her mouth, Blake interjected.

“Yang, please,” Blake only glanced at Yang, one eyebrow raised to make some unspoken point before she addressed Ruby. “I guess, Weiss just brings out that kind of reaction in people...”

She smiled at Ruby, as if to cheer her up, and continued.

“It's normal to feel a bit – “ she paused for a second, “...unsure around her. She is not easy to deal with.”

Ruby blew a strand of hair out of her face and leaned back in her chair. Yeah, no kidding. Though she had a nagging feeling that it wasn't just Weiss, but her own recent insecurities added up on top. Not that she could tell them that, Ruby certainly didn't want to whine to them while they were supposed to have a lovely lunch together, as much as that already seemed to have been ruined by conflict.

“Seriously. I don't like her.” Yang swallowed the last piece of steak; it was concerning how fast it had vanished under Ruby's eyes. “Also, she takes way too long to piss.”

“Vulgar, even for you.” Blake scolded and then added, “You don't even know her, don't judge her so harshly.”

“I don't wanna know her.” In one go Yang downed her coke. Table manners were never her strong suit, especially when in a bad mood.

“How can she be an old friend and I haven't heard of her, like ever?”

Ruby nodded; she had also wondered this. Certainly she wasn't as close to Blake as Yang was, but she would still consider Blake one of her better friends. Weiss really came out of nowhere. Blake just sighed and shook her head.

“I have mentioned her. Several times, not by name, but I have mentioned her,” she started, eyeing a tomato she had stabbed with her fork. “Her parents knew mine and Adam's. We even went to the same -”

Yang interrupted her immediately. “Hah! So, she is one of his folks. No wonder I didn't like her.”

Blake rolled her eyes and continued. “She is not one of 'Adam's folks'. Quite frankly she never liked Adam.”

“Well at least she got one thing right.” Yang played with her empty glass. Her mood had been ruined the first time Adam had come up, Ruby guessed. It was always like that.

“Yang.” Blake scolded and put her fork down.

“Seriously, why the hell are you playing music again? Also, what are you 'yang-ing' me about, I told you, that dude is a piece of shit.”

“Don't call him that.”

“I call a piece of shit, a piece of shit.”

Ruby played with a few strands of her hair nervously. It was always like this. Yang and Blake usually never fought. They had their differences, sure, but they knew what buttons not to press. They knew what to not make jokes about, as they were both quite sensible when they wanted to be. Even Yang, who could be quite harsh, knew how to deal with people. Or at least she knew how to deal with Blake.

But as soon as it came to Adam, all this perfect “getting along” stuff went overboard without a life jacket and drowned pitifully. After that thing (Ruby really wasn't sure what to call it) with Adam happened, Yang and Blake had grown incredibly close, but Ruby still remembered how both girls had terrible fights occasionally. Ruby wasn't someone to avoid confrontation – rather, she would usually jump in and try to soothe the tides. But even she had decided to just hide in her room, when they got like this. Not that it helped much, as she could still hear them shouting at each other.

Unsure of what to do, as Nora was nowhere in sight and Weiss really seemed to be taking a while in the bathroom, she started looking through her rucksack. It held not just her game and novel, but also a heavy black book with thick yellowish paper and a little transparent bag with several pencil, erasers and a sharpener. Yang and Blake were once again caught up in their everlasting fight about Adam, so they wouldn't mind if Ruby just started doodling a bit. It was her way out of uncomfortable situations. When Ruby drew, she felt at ease and could check out. This way she didn't again have to listen to the debate over Adam.

“You are good.”

Ruby stiffened, breaking the pencil lead in the process. Without her noticing, Weiss Schnee had begun looking over her shoulder at her sketchbook. She didn't seem to care much for personal space, as she was leaning in way too close. At least for Ruby's taste. Not that she usually minded, she herself was a pretty 'touchy-feely' person, as one might call it. But Weiss's hand that was placed on her shoulder made her shiver. Like that time Jaune had put snow down her . It was unbearable.

“Ahaha, just you know, doodles. I’m not like, serious.” Ruby hated the quiver in her voice. But the frosty feeling down her spine made goosebumps spread all over her body. “Like, I just draw like as a hobby, haha.” She must sound like a idiot. Yeah, a complete idiot.

“Oh really.” Weiss straightened her back and returned to her seat. “Why? You could try make something out of it.”

“I, maybe, but you know I always thought you have to be somehow special for that?” Ruby let out a shaky breath.

Those were her honest thoughts. Of course she had thought about that during all of her career planning, but she had always dismissed it. Making a career in art was hard, and only a few managed. Ruby knew that, and it wasn’t like she was especially passionate about it. She just did it. She couldn't imagine not drawing, but she was sure that those few that made it had to be different. Special. Like they must have been doing nothing but drawing for all their life, and had a spiritual art journey through the mountains, or a personal muse tied to them. Those people must be bursting with talent and creativity. Ruby certainly wasn’t, like she knew two or three things Uncle Qrow had taught her, but that certainly wasn't enough.

“And you aren't special?” Weiss raised a single eyebrow at her. Her gaze fixed on Ruby who stared into her sketchbook.

“I dunno, I guess. I mean, I don't think so?” Ruby laughed and closed her sketchbook. Yang and Blake seemed to have ceased their argument and were now looking at her.

“I haven't seen you draw in a while. Do you still give your pencils ‘cool’ names? ” Her sister nudged her in the side with the elbow as she spoke. Ruby heard Blake giggle and she was sure that out of the corner of her eyes she saw Weiss smile.

“What? No! Yang, I was like ten!!” Ruby cried out embarrassed.

Of course, that had to come up. When she was ten she had given her favourite mechanical pencils goofy names 'Crescent Rose', ‘Morning Star’, ‘Blade of Darkness’. Back then she had thought that was really cool . Yang loved to talk about that in front of others, honestly any story that could embarrass Ruby were Yang’s favourite story.

“I don't do that anymore!” Actually she still did that sometimes but there was no need for Yang to know that. And she already seemed immature enough in front of Blake and Weiss, the later quietly sitting down again.

“I just wish Uncle Qrow would be home more often.” Huffed Ruby, a transparent bid to change the topic.

“Uncle Qrow?” Weiss asked, still looking at Ruby.

“Hmh, yeah, our uncle used to draw a lot or something and showed me some cool stuff and techniques. Got everything from him.”

“Must be nice.”

Ruby's lips let out a tiny 'ah' when she looked at Weiss's face. The girl’s expression had not changed, it still looked like a mask of carefully assembled neutrality. But for some reason Ruby found something mesmerizing in watching her sip at her tea, which certainly must have been cold by now. She didn't know why, but the same face that seemed incredibly distant just a second ago, the same scar that made her kinda scary, the same eyes that had made Ruby squirm in her seat – all of that suddenly felt lonely. The scar over her half closed eyes, the perfectly trimmed hair – it all made her feel fragile.

Ruby held her breath. Weiss Schnee, in this moment as she silently sipped her tea, seemed so fascinatingly beautiful that Ruby was not quite sure what to do. She was sure she was staring and she was sure Weiss noticed, confident the girls eyes were meeting hers. She should have stopped. But she just couldn't help herself.

Suddenly Ruby yelped, a swift kick connecting with her shin.

“What was that for?!”

Yang just looked at her with furrowed brow, throwing her hands up in slight disbelief. Ruby blushed, shaking her head. When she saw Blake's concerned expression, she had to lower her eyes in shame. Even Blake had noticed and was giving her a curious look.

“Ehehe.” Ruby laughed to hide her embarrassment, asking herself what had gotten into her. 

“Uncle Qrow works as an art dealer. Though he used to be an artist himself, never really successfully. They always said his art lacked soul or something,” Ruby explained. Uncle Qrow certainly was a better topic than her gaping at Weiss like a fish.

“He travels a lot so it's mostly just me and Yang, but when he’s home he often gives me tips and stuff. Pretty cool.”

“I see.” Weiss put her cup down and looked at her. Silence followed.

Maybe they were like that because they didn't want to talk to her? But just a moment ago she seemed somewhat interested? Though if she didn't want to talk to them, why was she here? Now that Ruby thought about it, why was the girl here? Did Blake drag her here? No, it didn't seem Weiss would do anything she didn't want to. In that regard, Ruby assumed she might be similar to her sister.

“How is your Uncle?” Blake asked. She had always gotten along well with him, probably bonding over shared exasperation with Yang.

“Incredibly busy as always. It's a pain I tell you.” Yang grumbled. Most likely she was thinking about all the chores awaiting them at home.

“Tell him I said hi.”

“Sure.”

“Anywaaaay,” Ruby said as the conversation threatened to grow stale again. “What do you, you know, _do_ , Weiss? Apart from singing, I mean.”

“Mostly studying.”

“That seems...fun?”

“It's only appropriate.”

“Uhuh, what do you, like, study?”

“I’m mostly taught in economics, aside from the usual high school material.”

“Uhuh.”

Ruby always took pride at being good at talking, even if some of it was absolute nonsense sometimes, she still was good at it! But this was terrible. First she ogled her and now all she could manage were “uh” and “huh” replies. Great going, real charming. Blake also didn't really seem like she wanted to help her out, and, well, Yang already said she didn't like Weiss, so she was completely on her own. But it seemed as though Weiss decided to take action against this horrible awkwardness herself. With a swift movement she looked at her watch, which looked way too expensive for Ruby's taste, nodded to herself, and then looked at Blake.

“I need to go. I will give you the money for my tea.”

“Ah, it's fine. Let me - “

“Are you honestly trying to take my bill?” Weiss said, a dismissive laugh escaping her lips. She picked up her handbag, also too expensive in Ruby's eyes. Out of her wallet – also too expensive, Ruby was sure that girl must swimming in money - she got some coins and put them on the table, but alongside the coins she also took out two tickets. Without a word she put them down in front of Ruby and Yang.

“I would be happy to have you come see the performance. It’s this Saturday.” Blake added as an explanation. Weiss nodded in approval and then got up. She took her coat and gave Yang and Ruby another nod.

“I will be leaving then.”

Ruby looked after the girl, who had an astonishingly, Ruby wasn't sure how to put it, prideful walk. When she suddenly halted, Ruby quickly averted her eyes, afraid of being caught staring again. Without turning around, Weiss addressed Ruby.

“You should really think about it.”

“Huh?”

“Drawing. You are good at it. It would be a waste.”

And with these words Weiss Schnee left the café, leaving Ruby staring at the exit long after the girl was gone.


	2. Thumbnails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby takes Weiss' words to heart and begins to research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next were originally one chapter, but after several edits it was just better to split them up.  
> From now on I will try to update around every two weeks. I originally wanted to upload the chapters a little faster, but since I have a lot of deadlines to deal with, it will be less stressful for me.
> 
> Oh, on a different note. The art school application process and a lot of the things like the semester start are vaguely based on German art school and college education. It also means Yang didn't burn a shit ton of money by dropping out a semester or so before graduation.

A few days later Ruby got up early in the morning, at least it was early for her. Weiss’ words stuck to the back of her brain like days old gum. A big stone in the pit of her stomach that kept her up all night. She didn’t remember when she fell asleep, just that it must have been sometime after 4 am. Not long after waking up she had realized that she wasn’t going to get anymore sleep. After rolling around another hour or so, she tossed her heavy blanket to the ground and reached for her phone. The cool light of the phone hurt as she tapped the screen - 8 AM. Too early and too 8 AM to get up, at least since she graduated. But wallowing in this fortress of pillows and blankets wasn’t helping either. Her mind kept running around in circles and rethinking everything.

  
  
She wondered if Weiss had a point. From all her hobbies drawing had be the one, the one she kept since childhood, the one she never stopped. Ruby had considered art school a few times but always disregarded it very quickly. Art school sounded fancy, like she had to wear a beret and grow a mustache to fit in. She also knew from her uncle that, at least the art world he frequented wasn’t a place to make a living, for most people anyway.

But after meeting Weiss, she had researched a little more and realized that art school really didn’t equal art school. The experiences and things you learned were vastly different depending on what you wanted to do and which courses you took. She didn’t have to do the fine art her uncle traded in. What she knew of fine arts was limited to very old paintings and contemporary art that made about zero sense to her, the kind you stand in front and tilt your head at. It just didn’t seem to be for her, but for those folks with the French berets. She could try something that was right for her. Something that was hers.

If she wanted to find that something, she would have to work for it, no more lying in bed until noon. Ruby swung her feet out of the bed. The carpet under her bare toes was warm and scratchy, she wondered if she should vacuum it. Ruby couldn’t remember the last time she did that or cleaned her room for that matter. In the dark she tip-toed around books, game controller, bags and other items. The soft fabric of different shirts, skirts and sweaters strewn around the room felt cool against the sole of her feet.

After Ruby hit the light switch her eyes needed a while to adjust. The new LED lamp screwed in was a lot brighter than she was used to, its light tinted a lot bluer than the other lamps in the apartment. She had liked how it made her room look, even though its glare could be a little hard on the eyes.

On the ground one could see two clear paths free of clutter, one to the bed and one from the bed to her desk. The air was stuffy, but Ruby paid it no mind and shuffled over to her desk, plopping down on the squeaky chair in front of it. Her laptop was seated square in the middle of the table, half open and in sleep mode. Ruby peeled at the faded stickers on its lid. They felt a little childish now, she was sure Weiss didn’t have cartoon stickers on her things. She probably also had a desk without mountains of loose paper, empty chocolate wrappers, actual chocolate and three used cups, one had a suspiciously foul-smelling liquid in it. It might have been juice once upon a time. Ruby inched closer to the table with her chair, she heard a few crunches from rolling over what probably were some chips left over from dinner last night.

  
Ruby grimaced. Maybe she had been letting herself go a bit.

After her laptop came to live, she looked through the tabs still open. She scrolled through the pages of several colleges she had looked at. One thing they all had in common, be it a graphic design or fine art course, was that they required a portfolio. A collection of her artistic work that would be judged and serve as sort of entrance exam. So, Ruby’s game plan, as she had decided last night at 2 am with two energy drinks in her system, was making one of these. If she worked on the art she enjoyed for this portfolio, the kind of course that accepted her would probably be right. Or she would at least slowly figure out where she wanted to go while making it. And if she didn’t make it into one of these courses, wouldn’t that be proof that art wasn’t the way to go? One option less for her to wallow about.

Ruby took one of the sheets of papers on her desk. Turning it around and using its empty backside, she scrawled the different due days for the portfolios with the next best sharpie she could find. Next to them she wrote the specific requirements, the courses and the school name. She had found three different courses that were interesting but maybe a bit far away, she wouldn’t be able to commute. Two of them had actual entrance exams, where she would have to attend and make something there. She wondered if she could find a way to stay overnight in a hostel or something for the time. Then she looked at the nearby options. She knew the college her sister had attended had an art department. Her uncle frequented the graduation shows and was close with some of its faculty staff, at least on the fine art side of things. Their courses for applied art, illustration and some design ones for example, seemed more of interest to her though. She wrote those down too, slightly bigger, underlined.

Leaning back against her chair she looked at the different dates. They were all next year, she would have to wait a whole year until she could attend any of those schools. The deadlines for the portfolios were all in spring, so one could attend in the following September. A year seemed awfully long for Ruby. Had she missed the jump off point from high school that badly?

But in the end what was she to do? She had no clue on what to do with herself. At least this was something she could work towards. Ruby thought about Jaune, her friend had just started college. All jitters and excited smiles he had packed his things and moved, just like that. A quick decision made without hesitation. He’d be done with his degree a year before her then, if he didn’t mess up all that much. Considering he was attending the same engineering course as Pyrrha, Ruby was sure he would be fine. Pyrrha would pull him through somehow. Ruby missed her, too, but it always seemed clear that Pyrrha was going to go at some point. Smart, capable, popular, Ruby had felt they were just a pitstop before their friend was going to change the world. A year older and over five inches taller than Ruby, her shadow had never seemed as large as now. Pyrrha was special in the ways Ruby felt ordinary. She had never begrudged that until now.

Ruby looked to her feet. Small feet covered in silly superman socks. She sighed. On the ground she could see all the crumbs and pieces of the chips she had rolled over. Ruby wriggled her toes a bit, crushing some of the bigger chunks and grinding it into her grey carpet.

Ruby slammed her laptop shut. This was not helping her. She didn’t have a better plan than this for now. After ripping open one of the desk’s drawers she grabbed some tape and plastered the deadlines to her wall. She could totally do this. It was a good thing, she’d have enough time to prepare. And if it didn’t feel right, she could always change course. But for now, this was going to be her focus.

Which was easier said than done. Most of her drawings, most of her art really wasn’t going to cut it. She’d have to make new things, better things. She’d have to work for this. Just where to start? Standing up and looking over her desk, her stomach dropped. The dirty dishes, the absolute chaos, it really didn’t inspire confidence. Before she could start working, she’d probably have to spend hours cleaning this mess.

Ruby shook her head. Right now, it seemed whenever she tried to get her foot off the ground, she’d stop and think of twenty reasons not to. A deep breath and 15 minutes later, Ruby was dressed in her favorite sweatpants and her last clean hoodie. A bit of fresh air would help, also maybe she could find a few books in the library that would help her getting a start for her portfolio. Leaving her room, in her left hand she held her rucksack, in the other she balanced a tower of dirty mugs on a plate. Slowly she made her way into the kitchen.

  
In the small kitchen her sister was just closing the lid of her thermos.  
  
“Off to work?” Ruby asked as she came up beside her. Yang looked at her staple of dishes and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” she said. “You will be cleaning those yourself” Her sister wrinkled her nose, watching the used to be juice slosh in around in the mug. “No ‘I forgot’ or anything this time. I ain’t touching that.”

  
“Yes, yes, I can clean up after myself. I am just letting it soak for a bit until I get back,” Ruby huffed and with a loud clatter she dropped the dishes in the sink. Sure, she wasn’t the tidiest of people but wasn’t it also kind of Yang’s fault for cleaning up after her before she could get to it herself?

“Soak for a bit, my foot,” her sister grumbled. “You going somewhere?”

  
Ruby nodded. “Library,” she said. “I felt like I needed to get out of my room, I think”  
  


“So, from one room to another room, it is huh?” Packing her thermos she grabbed her keys. She sighed. “I will be back by five, you should really clean your room, by the way,” and with that Yang hurried out of the kitchen. Ruby could hear her rustling in the hallway, then a muffled “Later” and the loud thud of the door.

Once alone she turned on the faucet. Dropping her backpack on the tiles she watched the sink slowly fill up with water. After sufficiently soaking the dirty dishes, she started trying to get some kind of breakfast together. Recently she had skipped it a lot, her appetite sparse as it was, she tended to go for quick fatty meals or snacks. But if she wanted to start getting out of her funk, healthy regular breakfasts and proper sleep were probably good places to start.

  
Two quick slices of toast later, Ruby was out of the door. Out on the street, wind blew in her face, rushing through the tree and whistling in her ear. Leaves flew by her, little spots of red and brown swirling around. Ruby zipped up her jacket, burying her hands into the pockets of her pants. The soft fabric couldn’t protect her from the cold draft creeping up her leg. She shuddered a little when a wet leaf grazed her ear.

After a little detour, now armed with a paper cup of hot coffee, she arrived at the library 15 minutes later. Having taken a sip from the light brown brew, she wondered how much more milk and sugar she had to pour into it to make it drinkable. But the cup was warm, and its heat seemed to flow from her hand to every limb in her body, so she clung to it dearly.

The library was small, a refurbished school. Its front still had a big clock looming down on Ruby. It had heavy doors that felt as heavy as boulders as she stemmed her whole body against them to push them open. The soles of her wet shoes squeaked on the hideous blue linoleum floor. To her side was a little bucket, in it was one, dry and probably forgotten, umbrella. She was glad to be out of the cold now, the wind was biting, and the warm light of the library felt inviting. As she stamped her feet one the ground to get rid of a few insistent leaves she wondered if Blake was working today.

Inside the foyer a few tables stood against the wall, several pamphlets and free magazines laid out across on it. Ruby usually would walk by it and look through them, even though there was a chance close to zero that she would ever attend a pottery course at the community center. This time Ruby had a strict purpose in coming here, so she rushed by them. Walking past the youth section where she would often just pick a random book and plop down on the bean bags between the shelves, she headed for the non-fiction section. She hadn’t gone there a lot, just a few times for a school report but she knew they had books on art.

The library was quiet, it had just opened. Maybe she was first person that had dragged themselves through the stormy October wind to get some books. She could hear the clocks on the wall tick gently, and every step she took echoed across the wide rooms. From somewhere amidst the rows of shelves the noise of a screeching trolley reached her ear. This early no one was using the tiny music room on the second floor. Technically the room should have been sound proofed, but whenever someone would play the piano crammed into it, one could hear it across the whole library if you listened closely.

It was kind of nice being the first person, not staying in bed till lunch felt good. Whistling quietly to herself, after all nobody was here to be bothered by it, she walked up to the rows and rows of instructional books. In between stood a few tables, some equipped with old CRT computer screens, their plastic already yellow and grey. The light in this lost little corner of the library was warm in contrast to the cold grey light shining through the windows. She had to look for quite some time, many crocheting and felting books later she found books on drawing. In the top shelf of an ash wood bookcase sat several books on art fundamentals, just out of reach for Ruby. She looked around; nobody had come in since she arrived.

  
  
Hopping up and down she tried to snatch one book after another, every time her fingers just slipped past the binding. They were pressed together so tightly. Ruby took a deep breath and put down her coffee cup. With another big breath, she jumped once again, this time her hand latched onto one of the books. Ruby pulled.

Down came at least three other books. The books hit her in the chest and crashed to the ground. Yes, this seemed about right, she thought. Sighing she picked them up, at least she had gotten down some interesting stuff.

Having gathered a good stack of books to thumb through, she sat down at one of the tables, her back to one of the many windows. The pale grey varnish on top of the desk had several letters carved in, the carvings revealing the cheap pressed wood underneath. Stupid kitschy notes, insults, the usual. She traced a scratchy heart with her fingertips as she started looking through the several hardbound textbooks.

While she was reading the library began to fill up, a few strangers walking between the aisles. She could hear their steps resonating through the shelves around her. Ruby decided to take her headphones with her the next time. Skimming through the books she got out her sketchbook and took notes about topics she found interesting. Stuff she needed to learn before starting on the pieces for her portfolio. Her uncle had helped her with some basic understanding of many things but seeing them laid out in front of her, it all seemed awfully complicated. At the same time, it also was a lot more exciting. A challenge.

Ruby looked up when she heard someone call her name. A bemused Blake was pushing one of those book carts. It looked heavy, overloaded with thick textbooks. From the sound of its screeching wheels it really needed a good bit of oil.

  
“Never let her see you in those pants,” Blake said. The cart came to a stop beside Ruby’s table and Blake pulled up the chair right in front of Ruby.

“Wait, what?” Ruby blinked.

“Weiss loathes sweatpants. I don't think there is anything she hates more.” The old wooden library chair squeaked as Blake sat down. With mild interest she picked up one of the books in front of Ruby, 'Anatomy for Artists', and smiled.

Ruby lowered her eyes, unsure how she should respond.

“The 'no-life-pants' thing? I got that from her,” Blake explained.

“That bad?”

“Yeah, she says that no matter what one should always try to look their best.”

“She’s pretty, uhm...uptight?”

“That doesn't even begin to describe her. 'Stuck up her own ass', as Yang would say, fits it better.” Blake laughed and set the book aside. She looked over the rest of the scattered books. “Weiss really got to you, huh?”

  
That was an understatement. Ruby had latched onto Weiss’ words with abandon. It seemed to be the logical thing. She had been told that she was maybe good enough at something, so why not have a go at it? She did feel silly just clinging to this idea, the other girl probably hadn’t even meant anything by it. Throw away platitudes, but Ruby couldn’t help herself and hold onto this.

“It's not like-” Ruby stopped, she felt embarrassed. She lowered her eyes, fixing her gaze on one of her books.” I guess I just thought, hey, maybe she has a point, you know?”

An image of Weiss and those exact thoughts had kept her up the past few days. The girl's gaze had burnt itself into her mind. She felt more useless than ever. Weiss couldn't be much older, but still gave off the impression of an adult. Of someone who knew what she wanted to do and was sure to get it. Ruby felt insecure, but there was also a nagging fascination in the back of her head that she just couldn't shake.

“Say, Blake, how old is Weiss?”

“Hm,” Blake tapped her chin in thought. Her head was slightly tilted, and she watched Ruby out of the corner of her eyes intently. “Hm, turned 18 last winter, I think.”

“Ah.” The younger girl bit her lip and pretended to quickly copy something out of one of the books. Color theory, not really exciting, but to Ruby's own surprise the technical aspects didn't bother her as much as they used to when her Uncle first had tried to hammer theory in her head. She should think about that, about how complimentary colors clashed, not how embarrassed she felt stumbling about without a plan in life.

“Ruby, what’s the matter? Yang is worried, too. You barely leave the house, she says.”

Slowly, Ruby forced herself to look into Blake's eyes.

“It's weird. I don't really know.” She sighed, shaking her head in frustration. It was hard to explain something that for her just felt like a gigantic blob of uneasiness clawing at her chest.

“Blake, how did you know what to do?”

“What to do?” Blake responded, she blinked and then a raised brow followed by tilting her head to the other side.

“You know after school and stuff.”

“I just knew I would try to make music with Adam. There wasn't much of a question.”

“Ah.” Ruby fixed her gaze on her books again.

“But, you know, after that thing-” She made a wistful pause to make sure Ruby got what she had meant. . “I didn't really know what to do either. I still don't know.” Blake smiled, a finger gently tracing over the cover of a book.

“Like, I would be totally fine just spending my life here. Sorting books. But I don't think this will always work. There is so much about the future I can't plan - will I need to support a family? Will I always be content in my little one room apartment? Can I always work here at the library? I don't know,” she said and shrugged, her smile not even vanishing for a second.

“Basically, all we can do is try things out and see what sticks. Live changes so fast. Sometimes I still wonder how I ended up here. After all, I always thought I would make music. I couldn't imagine something else.”

Blake seemed to wait for a response. It took Ruby a while to scramble an answer together.

“It's just... I... everybody seems to know what they’re doing. Or, at least they’re doing _something_. I feel left behind. I’ve never felt insecure, like, ever!”

She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered. She thought about a pinching feeling that ran from down in her gut up to her chest when she tried to fall asleep at night or sometimes it would just randomly happen during the day. It was like going up a on roller coaster, slowly and steadily. But there was no release, no end to the rails going upwards.

“Listen,” Blake said gently, “just try things out and see what sticks. And talk to your sister.” Blake reached over the table and patted Ruby on the head. After a pause, Blake said while pulling back her hand, “Though, Weiss left quite an impression on you, didn’t she.”

Ruby nodded, she thought about Weiss, how much she had affected her.

“She is a rather strange one, I admit,” Blake added.

“I like strange people.”

Blake laughed. “Well, that's good then. I was a bit worried she scared you off.”

Ruby vividly shook her head. “No way! She’s interesting,” a short pause before she mumbled on, “I think?”.

“I wish your sister would think the same. She didn't seem really taken with her.”

“She just needs some time to warm up to her,” Ruby said, closing the book in front her.

“People generally don't warm up to Weiss.” Blake closed her eyes and let out an amused laugh. She seemed to be caught up reminiscing. “She never got along with people.” It was said with no malice, like it was charming character trait. Something uniquely Weiss Blake remembered fondly.

“Why?” Ruby asked before she even realized that such a question was quite intimate.

“Weiss never really went to a normal school. Homeschooled from the start. She had a lot of private teachers and was usually just surrounded with adults trying to keep a working atmosphere. Or suck up to her, to get in her father’s good graces. That can mess a girl up a lot.”

Ruby nodded, scratching her chin in thought. She tried to imagine it, growing up with stuffy old farts who only praised her to appeal to her father. She tried to imagine growing up without all her friends, growing up without Yang who always looked out for her. She couldn’t.

“I think, I might be her only friend. Back then I tried to hang out with her and Adam, all three of us together, but those two would always end up fighting.” Blake said, opening her eyes to watch Ruby's reaction. “I remember one time, Weiss nearly broke his arm.”

“What!? But she seems so, so...” Ruby stumbled a bit over what to say. “So not like that!”

Blake grinned, Ruby’s panicked reaction clearly pleasing her.

“We were twelve. It was about something very silly, but at some point, I started crying and they stopped. Weiss has quite the temper sometimes.”

Ruby swallowed. Weiss already scared her; imagining the girl _actually_ angry was genuinely terrifying.

“She mellowed out a bit though, don’t worry. The last few years she’s basically just been studying, and when she isn’t doing that, she’s been busy with vocal training. Her schedule and mine haven’t allowed much time together. We mostly have been talking over the phone.”

She leaned on the table, cupping her chin in her hand. Ruby quietly listened.

“I was quite surprised when she asked me to play for her.”

“Did she know you weren’t doing music anymore?”

“Yes, she insisted I play one last time. It's kind of sad. Without Adam,” a pause followed, once again trying to convey a meaning that Ruby didn’t understand, “and with her leaving for university soon, it feels a little lonely.”

Ruby nodded, she understood that feeling a little too well. With Jaune and Pyrrha making big plans for their lives, Nora apparently wanting to leave as soon as she had the money, and Ren being Ren, only god knew what he would do, but certainly something close to Nora - well, Ruby could relate.

“She said it would be her last time. Is she gonna stop singing?”

“Yes, she wants to concentrate on her studies. I had a feeling her family asked her to stop, but after talking to them they themselves were quite surprised by her decision. I sometimes don't understand what's going on in her head.” Blake stared right past Ruby; eyes focused on the trees outside. Ruby could see her brows furrow slightly and then relaxing again. She looked back to Ruby.

“Though speaking of Weiss...” Blake smiled, her lips tugged up to a degree that Ruby rarely saw. It made her quite uncomfortable, it was a smile that promised trouble, not unlike her sister’s smile. “You can ask her all this yourself.” Blake dug around in her jeans, only to fish out a small slip of paper from them. Ruby didn't need to look to know what it was.

“She asked me to give this to you.”

“Why?” Ruby's mouth felt dry, her voice scratching and quivering as Blake placed the slip of paper into her palm.

“If you ask me, she seemed a little interested in you. Maybe it's just one of her whims.”

“A whim....” stammered Ruby, staring at paper on which Blake had written down some numbers.

“She has her moods. Entertain her for a bit. For me please?” She smiled and stood up. After a pause. “Just send her a text or something and see if it sticks, okay?” Blake gave Ruby a gentle tap on the shoulder and left pushing a cart with a stack of books into one of the nearby aisles. 

Ruby, now left alone, stared at the slip in her hand. It felt like it was burning right through her palm.


	3. Presentation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby goes to a concert and puts her foot in her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had said that I wanted to update in a two week rythm but I realized that the last chapter might have been a little slow to leave for two weeks, and that this chapter is a nicer point from which to have longer waits in between. I also just was a little impatient to post this. This chapter was one of my favourites, though admittedly most of the chapters following the first two tend to be dear to my heart. But this one especially since its a lot more light hearted but also has some scenes that I really liked. I think it was one of the better chapters I wrote back then. I added a few tags to represent the story a little better, as there is fluff and awkward gay kids and most importantly a lot of friendship in this story. I am really not all that great at tagging.
> 
> Here we also have a huge difference between the show, and this story. Weiss is an only child and her parents names are not their canonical names. I know this will bother a lot of people, but their characters are very different from their show counter parts and it would be weird for Weiss' father to have a french name. Also Reiner Schnee is an amazing pun as it means pure snow, while Reiner is an actual real german name that people have.  
> Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

The day of the concert Ruby felt sick. She hadn’t slept well and even after scrubbing her hands until they were raw, she still had little spots of paint all over them. The dress she wore hung stiffly off her shoulders. She had not worn it since graduation, too formal and too constraining for everyday use. It was not often she had reason to dress like that and as much as she adored the red lace at the hems and the way the cloth felt between her fingers, she wished she could have worn a pair jeans and a sweater. Inside Yang’s car she fidgeted in her seat, her fingers scratching at the paint stains on her hands.

“Ruby,” Yang said, gaze fixed on street, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. “If you don't stop being so...ugh.” Yang hit the wheel with her fists, and then put her hands around it again with a tired sigh.

“You would be nervous too! I know nothing about music except the little bit you taught me over the last few days, and everything's so formal! I don't do formal, Yang!” She complained. It wasn’t until Yang told her to get out the graduation dress that Ruby realized how serious this was going to be. She had thought it would be like one of Yang’s gigs from college, she certainly hadn’t expected a dress code. Yang had then started to explain a bit about classical singing to her, just so she wouldn’t be completely lost.

“Well, you’re gonna have to, because we’ll be there in a minute. Seriously Ruby, what's gotten into you?”

Ruby shrugged and looked outside the window, rendering the conversation effectively over. The umbrella in her hand felt clammy, thankfully helping her to ignore her sweaty palm. She was beyond nervous. The little slip Blake had given her was safely tucked away between a few notebook pages. Wrestling with herself, she had typed out several different texts, never comfortable with actually sending one. Were smileys okay? Weiss didn’t seem like a smiley person. Should she ask something? Should she use 'Hey', 'Hi' or 'Hello'? There were so many things to be considered. How would Weiss answer? Would she even bother?

God, and during all this she was still lying around at home wondering what to do with herself. Sure, she got herself some kind of goal but in the end, she still felt just as lost. She tried to concentrate on art, drawing, trying out new techniques which were all pretty fun, but nothing really stuck. When she was being honest with herself, she really doubted she had the potential Weiss apparently saw. Her stuff wasn't bad, it just lacked something. It was the first time she’d forced herself to draw daily. Not just sometimes scribbling around. It drained her, and she just didn't know what she really wanted to achieve with it. What she wanted to draw.

Ruby didn't want to face Weiss. Not with paint stains all over her hands and a dress that suddenly didn’t fit right, not with a piece of paper hidden in her room like it was the scariest thing in the world. Not before she could have mustered up the courage to even text her.

“There it is,” Yang announced before pulling into a parking lot, maneuvering the car neatly between two cars with out of state license plates. While applying the handbrake she looked at Ruby. “You sure you want to do this? I can just tell them you felt sick, or something,” she said and smiled. For a split second she wanted to accept, just take a bus home and catch up on some sleep. But she knew sleep wouldn’t come anyway, she would probably just beat herself up over this, feel shame for avoiding and running away. Just the idea made her stomach recoil. Most of all though, she was too excited. She hadn’t heard Blake play in so long, she wanted to know what Weiss sounded like when she sung. As much as she didn’t face Weiss, she wanted to see her just as much.

The small community theatre at the outskirts of the city had been restored and renovated many times. Crammed in a corner of a square, it didn’t impress at first. The windowfront was plastered with posters of future performances, bad typography mixing with loud colors, but behind Ruby could see waitresses handing out champagne glasses to people in expensive dresses and suits. Ruby wondered how many people would attend. She had seen Yang perform a few times but judging from the ticket this seemed to really just be Weiss' show. People came just to watch her. Blake was on the ticket, ‘accompanied by Blake Belladonna’ it said, but Weiss’ name was printed big and bold on it. There was no mistaking whose concert this was. It seemed too outlandish. Weiss wasn't much older than Ruby, but she held her own shows. Just thinking about this kind of pressure made Ruby’s guts twitch and cramp. Holding presentations, being group leader, all those things felt natural, but putting on a whole performance all by herself… 

Ruby shuddered.

The room held around 80 people, at least that was Ruby's not very well-educated guess. She and her sister found two free seats somewhere in the middle. The people were chatting vividly in little groups. Most of them at least over 50 years old, dressed prim and proper. Ruby was glad she had bought formal clothes for her graduation and she was glad Yang had made her wear them. She would have been so embarrassed in her goofy sweaters. She was playing with the hem of her dress when Yang, who had left to get something, came back to their seats. She threw a pamphlet in Ruby's lap.

“The program,” after a shrug she continued, ”looking at the set list, she’s going all classical on our ass. It’s probably gonna be a snooze fest.”

“Hm.” Ruby skimmed over the song list. It was long and included many titles in languages Ruby could only guess might have been German and French. “Can she handle all of this?”

“Dunno. She’s going all out with this. She chose songs just to show off her range and skill. Wants to make a lasting impression, I guess.”

“Hm,” was all she could respond. Quietly, she wondered who Weiss wanted to impress.

As if on cue, the audience started to settle down. Ruby recognized some of the older folk in town, but there were also quite a few people she was sure she had never seen. She was kinda impressed by how many people attended; almost all the chairs were taken.

“It's gonna start soon,” Yang mumbled. “Ruby? You okay? You look kinda blue.”

“Nah, I’m good. Just nervous.”

Her sister laughed. “Why? You aren't going on stage.” She hit her in the shoulder.

“I don't know. Feels weird.” The press of the seam of her dress against her fingertips became almost painful.

Deep in her gut something was turning upside down – something which might or might not have been her dinner. It also might have risen up to her chest, making it hard to breath. It was a nostalgic feeling of stormy October nights, of the change of seasons. It clenched its frosty hand around her neck. It was the feeling one had in the evening, driving in a car, watching the yellow streetlights reflect in shallow puddles and glistening stone. Knowing that something was going to change, or maybe that something had already changed. Every second passed by slowly. Ruby shut her eyes.

Her sister was talking with Blake after the performance. After Weiss had sung the last note, the hall became quite busy, but Ruby hadn’t noticed at first. Only once Yang had pulled her up by her sleeve she had registered that it was over. Not listening to what her sister and Blake were talking, Ruby watched Weiss across the room surrounded by a group of people four times her age, likely congratulating the girl on her wonderful voice and perfect performance. A man, tall and proud, stood by her side. His hand was resting on her shoulder. A woman was to her other side, a hand gently rubbing Weiss's arm. There was no doubt they were her parents. It was obvious where Weiss got her looks from. All three of them, Ruby noticed, where exceptionally beautiful. During her life Ruby had met many people – cute people, handsome people, simply attractive people – but none had made her feel like this. She had never imagined that she would describe a man as beautiful, but Weiss's father was just that. Daughter and father had an uncanny likeness. Her gaze went back and forth between them, lingering on Weiss always a little more, a little longer. 

“The Schnee family is quite something,” she heard Blake say.

“Yeah, no kidding. Stupid, pretty, rich folk,” muttered Yang.

“Ah! They’re looking back at us!” Ruby squeaked, tugging at her sister’s sleeve.

“Yeah, seems like they’re coming over.”

Ruby quickly stared at her shoes, a little spot of mud glaring back at her. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the Schnee family approach them. Shoulders pulled up to her ears, she tried to hide behind Blake and Yang. The little slip of paper she had back at home was painfully coming back to her. Would Weiss mention it?

“Ah, Blake! You were wonderful, dear.” Weiss’ mother hugged Blake and kissed her on the cheek. The man to Weiss’ side exchanged a friendly nod and a smile. 

“If I may,” Blake said, casually waving toward Ruby and her sister. “This is Yang Xiao Lang and her sister Ruby Rose. They are dear friends of mine.”

To Ruby's surprise Weiss’s father laughed. It was a hearty laugh, a bit rusty, deep and scratchy. It reminded her a bit of her uncle. It invited one to laugh along with him. Charming to a point it felt threatening. Ruby wondered what Weiss's laugh would sound like.

“We have heard. It's a pleasure. Reiner Schnee, Weiss' father.”

Ruby was a bit hesitant to shake the man's hand, scared he would notice her sweaty palms. His large hands and thin, delicate fingers were cool to the touch, but not unpleasant. His skin felt strangely rough, like that of a working man. Now that he was facing Ruby, she could see a deep scar and several smaller ones gracing his left cheek. She averted her eyes but kept glancing back them.

“This is my wife, Helena.” A quick gesture to his wife, followed by a warm smile. This man radiated charisma.

“Well, and of course you know our daughter, Weiss.”

Smiling ever so slightly, Weiss gave a small nod. “I hope you enjoyed the performance.”

“Definitely!... I mean you were great! Blake, too, of course.” Ruby stumbled a bit over her words, rushing to get them out. Not due to embarrassment, but because she was excited.

“I gotta admit, you kinda hit it outta the park,” Yang said.

“I am glad. Thank you for the compliment.” Weiss relaxed, her stiff shoulders slackening just a little, but not enough to make her posture seem sluggish.

Ruby shook her head. “Nuh uh, no need, you were awesome. Really. Like, I don't know much about this music stuff, but you were so cool!” She grabbed Weiss’s hands, almost tugging at the girl. “Your voice is just amazing.”

A slight pull from Weiss, the sound of her shoes clicking as she made a surprised step backwards, snapped Ruby out of it.

“Uh, I mean, I really liked it.” Quickly she let go, hiding her hands behind her back.

“Good to see such enthusiastic people.” Reiner chuckled, small wrinkles expanding over his face. “I, too, do not know much about this 'music stuff'.” Ruby swore she could have seen him winking at her.

“ _Schatz_ , we have been trying for years. Music is not that hard!” His wife stepped closer to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

“I would prefer to just enjoy listening to our _Prinzesschen.”_

“Prinzesshhen?” Ruby's mouth worked faster than her thoughts, repeating the foreign syllables turning them into a mess of sounds

“It means little princess,” Blake explained.

“He won’t stop calling me that, it’s embarrassing,” Weiss said looking at her father, one eyebrow pulled into a disapproving frown.

“I think it's cute,” Blake remarked. “Also, anyone who has seen you without your heels would agree.”

Ruby's eyes were immediately drawn to the other girl’s feet. Seeing how she was around Ruby's height with those almost ridiculous heels, she quickly realized that Weiss was actually a good few inches shorter than her. Weiss seemed to notice her gaze. She snorted. A rather unladylike reaction that Ruby didn't expect.

“Tch, I have a rather delicate build, it's true.” Her words were followed by a dismissive hand. “It's more about how you carry yourself than height.”

Ruby wondered if Weiss was trying to make a jab at her but couldn't really tell. Though if height was no issue, why would she wear heels of the length of her index finger?

“Yes, a nd we all know how mature you are, _meine Liebe_. You do remember your last performance, right?” Reiner chuckled.

This was the third time Ruby had heard them use German words, and she wondered if it was a rich people thing. Looking back at Weiss's face, which now sported a warm pink glow and a rather amusing expression, Ruby felt like she was being introduced to a completely different girl than the one she met over a cup of warm cocoa. She seemed less guarded, as if the presence of her family eased her out of her overly controlled behavior. People were always like that around their family, Ruby realized. She was less scary with her parents around.

Almost purposefully so, each sentence a not so subtle wink to a shared past and close relationship.

“I would rather not,” Weiss huffed, arms crossed in front of her chest.

“But it was such a joy to watch,” Helena noted, a hand barely hiding her wide smile. “If only we could have recorded it.”

“Like usual, Blake,” Reiner explained, apparently eager to tell an embarrassing episode of his daughter in front of her friends. Ruby knew that all adults took pleasure in doing so. She had lost count of the times Uncle Qrow had told the stories of Yang and Ruby's first baking attempts. Reiner held his hand his mouth and lowered his voice to a fake whisper.

“These old gruffy men tried to introduce their boys to her. You know how these smarmy businesspeople are...” He took a deep breath, looking slightly exhausted. But then his wide smile returned as he left what seemed to be a deliberate pause to let someone else interject and react to his story. A showman’s pause.

“Oh, I like where this is going,” Yang said, deciding to not be bothered by her outsider status. As soon as something even remotely caught her interest, Ruby’s sister tended to forget any social awkwardness.

“So dear Weiss was getting...” Helena searched for words, short giggles escaping her lips. “...rather aggravated by the situation. So, she screamed, and -”

“I did no such thing!” Weiss cut in, her cheeks colored in a tender red. Weiss continued, words spoken quickly to defend herself but struggling to find the right ones. “I just...they were getting a bit much you see, one of them in particular was rather...insistent...so I…. casually remarked… ” She wrestled with her words, helplessly trying to make the best out of the situation. She sighed. “...that I do not particularly...” Another sigh followed. “...have an interest in men,” she huffed, hands on her hips, eyes fixed on the ground. 

“Oh!” Ruby blushed, feeling rather embarrassed. If she were in Weiss’s shoes, she wouldn't want to have anybody casually talking and joking about her sexuality. Especially not in front of people she barely knew, like herself and Yang. Ruby found it rather mean, almost cruel to do so.

“Oh shit, haha!!” Her sister had less qualms to enjoy this anecdote, laughing along with not a lot of care for Weiss’ dignity.

“Yang!” Ruby hit her sister. “That's mean!” Ruby stopped for a moment, rather uncomfortable with the situation. “I mean, if I were...you know what... I wouldn't want people to joke about it.”

“It's fine. My parents have always been like this,” Weiss said rubbing her temples. Her father laughed and laid a hand on her shoulder. But Weiss’ posture remained as rigid as before, shoulders pulled up to her cheeks and jaws clenched. His hand seemed so large placed on Weiss’ narrow shoulder.

“We never thought of it as much of an issue. It had certainly been surprising to hear her scream it in peoples face. We would rather talk and joke about it than play pretend. Also, Weiss never made much of an effort to hide it. It would be weirder not to, right? Some like ketchup, some like mayo.”  


Ruby stumbled a bit. She did not know if she really agreed, after all even though she did not like mayo she would eat it if she had to, also not liking mayo, or rather liking Ketchup only ever mattered for 20 minutes every month when she got some fries. But the sentiment seemed true enough, after all it didn’t matter that Weiss liked girls, right?

“Yeah! Like, I don't mind! Girls liking girls! Or, well, boys liking boys, or liking both! Or nothing, or anything. It's awesome, I mean cool. I mean good, uhm great?” Were they really talking casually about this in the middle of this crowded community theater? If they were truly only talking about ketchup and mayo, it certainly wouldn’t have been as awkward. In the corner of her eyes she saw Weiss staring at Ruby with brows furrowed.

She rambled on. “Like, I think it's cool to be open about it. I like, had this huuuuuge crush - I think it was a crush? - on this friend of mine, Pyrrha, she is great, the best, I even fought with my best friend over her. So, it's not like it's weird or anything! Yup.” Nope, not weird. Weiss was still watching her and with every word Ruby wished that someone would just interrupt her before she embarrassed herself any further.

Reiner laughed. “Well that's good then.” His wife joined him and for a second, Ruby couldn’t tell if it was directed at her or with her. It seemed like the latter. They felt welcoming and warm. In stark contrast to their daughter, who had felt cool and distant.

“Ohhhhh, that's why you almost broke Jaune's nose!” Yang slapped her sister on the back several times, as if to congratulate her on a great achievement. “I’m proud of you.”

“That brings me back.” Helena leaned on her husband, deep in thought. “Remember when Adam and Weiss were constantly fighting over Blake?”

“Mother no, Mother please,” Weiss begged, desperate to at least to keep a bit of her pride.

With a smug smile Blake said, “oh, I do. It's rather amusing,” She reminded Ruby a bit of her sister.

“Don't tell me...” Yang was getting almost too excited.

“I was nine,” Weiss groaned.

“If only it had worked out. It would have been lovely,” Reiner Schnee chuckled. His eyes shining as he watched his daughter huff in embarrassment.

“Mister Schnee, please. You flatter me.”

“Woah, you never told me about this, Blake! Snogging with the rich and famous, huh?”

“Well, there isn't much to say,” Weiss interrupted before it could get out of hand. Which it already had, but Ruby couldn’t begrudge her attempt to save what was left of her dignity.

“How cruel,” Blake giggled, “you did, after all, confess your undying love to me.”

“Yes, and after that Adam came in and nearly punched me in the face.”

“Now, now Weiss,” Reiner interjected well-meaningly. “If I remember correctly, you dislocated his arm first.”

“Could we just change topics!” Weiss voice sounded almost shrill, though it didn't seem as if she was actually mad.

“I would rather not, teasing you will always be one of my favorite past times,” Blake said.

Ruby was a bit astonished by all this information. It was a lot. She was getting pulled into this familiarity, and slowly disarmed by intimate anecdotes Ruby fell into a comfortable rhythm. She liked learning more about Weiss, as well as hearing more of Blake's childhood, but it felt bizarre, talking about such private things on the second meeting. Strange as it was, it was like talking with old friends, just like she would when hanging out with Jaune. Soon Ruby felt welcome and started to wonder why she had been so nervous in the first place. Sure, the Schnee family was obviously filthy rich, and they seemed completely out of her league, but talking to them made her think they were just like Yang, Uncle Qrow, and herself. 

“You dislocated his arm? Good job, Weiss. I think I need to change my opinion of you.” said Yang, clearly as charmed by the Schnee’s as Ruby herself was.

“Please, can we let this go.”

Reiner Schnee laughed and just ruffled his daughter’s hair.

“Don't!” Weiss crossed her arms in front of her chest, an adorable pout gracing her lips.

“Well, as my daughter seems to be in good company...” He trailed off and looked over to a group of men in fancy suits who seemed to be just waiting to get at him, like starving animals. “I need to go and have boring business talk. Even if I would rather stay here and enjoy messing with my daughter.”

Helena linked her arm in his. “It was nice to make your acquaintance,” she said, and Ruby might have imagined it, but it felt like Helena was looking at her specifically.

As both adults left, Ruby heard her sister take a deep breath.

“Who could have known? So insufferably rich, criminally even, yet almost...” Yang tapped the button of her chin with her index finger while she spoke, “one could almost say down to earth. Shocking.” Her sister let out an impressed whistle.

“Well, I am sorry if we didn't meet your expectations.”

Ruby’s head whipped back and forth in confusion. “Criminally rich?”

“Ruby, don't tell me you didn't realize who you were talking to.” Yang’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Please, Ruby.” She shook her head in utter disbelief.

“Uh...Weiss' parents?”

Yang started laughing, and Blake giggled, barely keeping her voice down. Weiss simply looked like someone just told her one plus one made four.

“You don't know who I am?”

“Weiss Schnee?”

Her sister's laugh almost became manic, and she began hitting Ruby’s shoulder. “Ruby, Schnee as in the German company. The big pharmaceutical one, printed on any and all medicine packages.”

“ _Schnee_ Schnee!?”

“What other Schnee is there?” Yang mocked Ruby.

“But they have to be like super rich! Why would they live here!?” They had gotten pretty loud now, attracting disapproving glances from the other guests. Many of them had crowded around Weiss parents and were frowning at them.

“Would you please be calm down,” Weiss said and then explained, “this is a rather nice town. Our factories are close, and we prefer not to parade our money around,” while shrugging slightly.

“But you’re like, normal!?”

“Why, thank you. I do try.”

“Ruby, why did you think I doubted that Blake was friends with them?”

“I just...”, Ruby hung her head and only barely stopped herself from mumbling some more excuses, that would have just made it more embarrassing.

“You dolt,” Weiss huffed, rolling her eyes.

“I didn't know they lived here!” she cried in a desperate attempt to defend herself.

“You know that gigantic mansion outside town? Guess who owns that?” Yang was still giggling, enjoying the laugh at Ruby’s expense.

“Oh my god, really?” Ruby hadn't seen it often, but that house was an impressive sight to behold, with a beautiful rose garden easy to spot through the high fences. She remembered that once she got lost in the nearby woods with Jaune, it already had gotten dark at that point and they had been sure it was haunted. She had always wondered what kind of people lived there, had wondered if anyone could own such a place that should have been reserved for film sets and stories about magic and enchanted forests. “Can I come over sometime!?” Ruby always had been easily excited, her embarrassment forgotten at the prospect exploring an actual mansion. Not just any mansion, but one she had once thought to be haunted.

“Eh, yes, certainly.”

“The house parties must be awesome ” Ruby's sister stroked her chin in thought, perhaps already planning on taking advantage of their new friend.

“The only parties held there likely aren't your kind” Weiss answered Yang, barely covering the dismissive tone in her voice.

Glancing at Ruby, she then said, “But I certainly wouldn't mind people visiting.” Weiss paused, playing with a strand of hair. “Blake, you, too. You haven't been there in what feels like years. My parents would be glad, too.”

Blake nodded, forcing herself to smile. It didn't seem like she was keen to go there.

“Soooo,” Yang grinned from ear to ear, leaning over to Weiss. “We’re gonna crash Weiss's place after this, huh?”

“I would rather not have such,” she looked at Yang, clicking her tongue. “Noisy company tonight. This evening was rather exhausting.”

She looked at Ruby, and she seemed a bit more like the girl Ruby had met in the cozy café a few days ago. Unattainable, and with enough self-esteem for a whole nation. Like the rich girl with more than enough money to buy a small country that she was. It fascinated Ruby as much as it alienated her.

“I actually feel like retiring for the night already. Though it's still raining.” Another click of her tongue. She seemed rather thoughtful. “Ruby?”

Her own name felt odd in her ears. It sounded nothing like the way Yang, her uncle, or anyone had ever said it. Maybe it was a faint accent, or maybe it was the unspoken expectation it suddenly carried.

“Did you bring an umbrella?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Then I would like you to accompany me to my car. Blake, please tell my parents I already left.”

It wasn't a question, and if it was Ruby didn't even consider declining the request. She hurried to the entrance to get her umbrella, and then went outside with Weiss, avoiding the gaze of her sister that followed them.

The cold October wind felt refreshing after the stuffy hall, the rain playing a soothing melody on her umbrella. The wind carried a few raindrops into their faces, making them squint a bit. Weiss walked close to her, the white-haired girl’s shoulder slightly touching her own. Ruby felt rather fragile in the midst of this stormy night, like the wind could just take her somewhere far away. The feeling that had tortured her before the concert had come crawling back, grasping at her ankle, threatening to pull her under. She clung to the umbrella like a lifeline, eyes glancing to Weiss whose presence soothed the anxiety swelling in her chest, but at same time made her heart flutter with uncertainty. They avoided a few puddles, which were reflecting the streetlights, beautiful orange hues dancing across their surface.

Way too soon, they had reached Weiss’ car. It was a rather normal car for such a rich girl, Ruby noted. She had expected something more extravagant. Awkwardly she stood there in front of Weiss. Something tied her tongue painfully back in her throat. Weiss didn't seem to notice, she simply stared at her with those fierce eyes. Her white clothes, pale skin and hair lifted her from the dark and muddy scenery. Again, Ruby noted how beautiful Weiss was. Far more so than her father or mother. There was something entrancing about her.

“You didn't call.”

“Huh?” For a moment, Ruby had forgotten that slip of paper. “I, I just, I didn't really kno-”

“It's alright. It must have been rather sudden,” Weiss said, putting her hand on the cold surface of the car.

“No, really! I just...” Ruby shifted her weight back and forth uncomfortably. “I was a bit surprised, that's all! Though,” she looked at Weiss, blood rushing to her head, feeling rather light as she spoke, “why did you give me your number?”

Weiss’s gaze met her own. It felt like her nervousness was getting sucked out of her; all that was left was the same awe she had felt listening to the girl's voice.

“Do I need much of a reason?” Weiss was dodging the question. Not very smoothly, she had only wavered a split second. Her eyes had quickly flicked to the side and a little bit of red spread across her cheeks, but Weiss soon was staring back at her again.

“No, I guess not.” Ruby scratched the back of her head with her free hand. She couldn't look away from Weiss; she didn't really want to, but something told her she should be running back to her sister. That something dangerous was happening. All her senses told her to run from the girl with these fierce, unwavering eyes. She had gone back to the girl Ruby had met a week ago, but the change wasn't sudden or unexpected. It was rather fascinating.

“I... actually...” Ruby took a big breath, pulling her shoulders back. “...I... looked more into drawing.” Changing the topic so she could breathe again.

“Oh, did you?” 

“Yeah, and man,” she laughed. “It really isn't easy...”

“Nothing is.”

Ruby let out an agreeing hum. After finding out she had to hand in a portfolio and even take entry exams, it had really sunk in that drawing, seriously drawing, would take effort. “I just don't know what I really wanna draw.”

“What you want to draw?”

“Yeah, like, everybody wants to achieve something, right? I don't know what I wanna achieve with my drawing.”

“Hm,” a melodic sound escaped Weiss’ lips and Ruby quickly averted her eyes. She had been staring, staring at the study of contrast between Weiss’ red lips and pale face. Weiss’ skin was but a canvas painted with light and shadows, warm and cold hues mixed into soft gradients, blue shadows cast across her nose and cheeks by the umbrella in Ruby’s hand, all color vanishing into bright orange whenever headlights swallowed them whole as cars drove by. A ceramic palette filled with every color Ruby could imagine, the pale white skin pigments shining through between the paint. Ruby could not help herself, she wanted to capture this image, these colors that framed Weiss, wanted to lock it up deep inside herself and never let it go. In time to her nervous pulse the finger of Ruby’s free hand began to twitch, she swallowed and grasped the umbrella with both hands, and started to ramble.

“But like, I don't really know what I wanna like, achieve in life in general. So, I really dunno,” Ruby laughed. She didn't know what she was doing **–** not in this moment while speaking with Weiss, nor in general.

“It's worth thinking about.”

“Yeah.”

Between them silence stretched itself thin, both stood perfectly still. Only the rhythmic melody of the rain drops falling onto the umbrella marked the passing of time. With every second, every little raindrop, the moment grew heavier with meaning Ruby could not understand, not yet. It was not uncomfortable standing so close to Weiss, she could feel her warmth against the shuddering wind, and she wished to step just a little closer. But she did not, nor did she dare to speak, at loss for words and too afraid to destroy this lingering moment she wished to treasure. As little as Ruby understood she felt it resonate in her bones, a shallow echo of a feeling yet to come.

As in its nature, a moment has to pass eventually, no matter its significance. So, as an old car drove by cutting through their silence with horrid blaring roar Weiss thawed out of her stillness and began to fish a key out of her purse. She turned around to her car, her shoulder peeking out from under the umbrella, as she said, “Thanks for coming today.”

“No! Don’t worry, I had a great time! Who knew music could be this cool?”

As Weiss moved to open the door of her car, Ruby felt like she had to say something, anything to make Weiss turn around one last time.

“Sorry I didn't call you.”

“I said it's fine,” Weiss replied. Ruby stretched out the umbrella, covering the other girl whole while rain fell down her own shoulder now. She could see Weiss’ face reflect in the window of her car, her lips were pressed to a thin line.

“Um,” Ruby said, her voice too loud, words pressed forward with no second to think them over, “would it be cool if I, like, called you tomorrow or something?” Ruby stared at the back of Weiss’ head. “Like, just to chat and stuff.”

“To chat and stuff?” Weiss said, and she finally turned around, her face blank. Weiss paused. Maybe she was thinking, or maybe she just wanted to make the moment last longer. She smiled. “I,” she said with her eyes glancing to the asphalt while she spoke, “I would like that.”

Ruby felt she had found an answer just now, even if she didn't know what for.


	4. Framing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby visits Weiss. It's awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this year is a little weird, I guess. This chapter is very long. Sorry about that. Anyway, I hope you guys have fun with this.

It was a 25-minute walk through puddles and mud from a remote bus stop to get to the Schnee mansion. The bus serving said stop came by every hour, and apart from a gas stop some 6 miles down the road, there was nothing but the forest. Consequently, not a lot of people had been on the bus with Ruby, only a tired woman packed with groceries and a few senior citizens that eyed her from time to time and then murmured among themselves. Though one of the major roads, the forest stretching itself along the edge of town, Ruby had not been here a lot, and mostly just driven by it. She had never walked down that tiny little path leading up to the estate; not even when Jaune and her had stumbled through the thicket lost and confused.

The path to the mansion was surrounded by trees, ever-greens enduring against the grey autumn sky, their dark green needles covering Ruby’s field of view. They did nothing to protect her from the downpour that had begun sometime after she had gotten on the bus, and as she had forgotten her umbrella, all she had was her red hoodie to keep her warm. With a running nose she pulled the hood down as far she could, the wet fabric doing little to make her feel better. Branches cracked under her boots, her footprints dwarfed by the wide tire tracks to either side; buried deep in the ground the same tread patterns repeated themselves over and over again. With clouds covering the sky, she could not see far into the forest, saw nothing but shadow between the thick tree trunks. Their foliage blocked the light and left the forest shrouded in darkness. Bones shaking from the cold rain, she felt that spending time in a remote mansion surrounded by nothing but trees and darkness seemed a lot less exciting than before.

It was too late to turn back anyway. The bus was already gone, and she was not keen on standing in the rain for much longer. In front of the gate, tall and unyielding, she tried to peer between its bars. The freezing metal pressed against her cheeks, she realized she had never been close enough to see much more than the white façade of the manor. It was simple, not too many adornments, a surface of modesty belying it’s worth that was clearly shown by the building’s size alone. The windows were elegant and little touches of character, but otherwise the building lacked personality - no colors, just tasteful and ageless elegance, perfection until everything unique had been stripped away. If there was any doubt about the inhabitant’s wealth, the multiple garages and smaller buildings around it made sure to remind you, as did the fact that Ruby could not even tell how large the property really was. The walls and fences sprawled towards the horizon far beyond anything Ruby could see with her eyes. She remembered running into fencing a long way from here with Jaune, the mansion in the distance nothing but an exciting mystery. With a few years of abandonment, this would make the perfect place to shoot one of those horror movies Yang forced her to watch.

Maybe she should have told her sister that she was coming here. She had not been hiding it from Yang deliberately, not really, she might have just forgotten to mention it, and if that had meant Yang could not tease her about it than that was a happy coincidence. Not that there was anything to tease Ruby about in any case.

Rooted to the spot, Ruby looked around some more and then, after a good minute of staring, decided to press the doorbell. It was slightly covered by ivy that wrapped itself along the brick wall it was mounted on. After another two minutes, she wondered if she had pressed hard enough. She had not heard anything, nor were there any signs of reaction, and the doorbell _did_ seem a little rusty. Huffing, she pressed again, harder and longer this time. Once again, nothing. She pressed again. Maybe it was broken? Ruby kept her thumb on the button, frowning.

“Stop!” screeched Weiss' voice through the speaker. Ruby jolted backwards, thumb instantly leaving the doorbell. She wondered whether Weiss's voice sounded so distorted because of the rusty speaker or anger - she hoped for the former.

“May I ask who this is?”

For a second, Ruby wondered if she should just not answer, and maybe even run. Weiss would think some stupid kid was playing a prank and Ruby could have a do over ten minutes later. Or maybe never.

But Weiss was expecting her, and a tactical retreat – Ruby would rather put it like that – was not a realistic option.

“It's me, Ruby,” she said trying to sound as composed as she could, the way she imagined Weiss would announce herself.

“I will open the gates,” Weiss said, the anger vanishing, her voice returned to a monotone, though Ruby could have sworn she heard an annoyed sigh. One of those that Ruby had gotten more times than she could count.

Well, if _this_ hadn’t been a great start, Ruby thought as she dragged herself through the rose garden that led up to the manor. It must have looked impressive before the rain and wind had tormented it, ripped apart the last remains of the summer bloom and left the thorny stems cold and bare. Just a few petals still held on, clinging to their life, little specks of color among the stormy grey of early October. As she reached the marble steps, the heavy wooden doors in front of her opened. Behind them Weiss looked small, framed by dark wood, her pale colors standing out as a small spot of brightness. She was dressed trimly, every piece of clothing matching and chosen deliberately, as always, not that Ruby minded, Weiss was very pretty like that after all. She liked it, even if Weiss’ spruce appearance made her feel a bit inadequate at times.

The subtle frown vanished from Weiss’ features as Ruby came to halt in front of her. “You're drenched!”

Ruby giggled, barely more than a croak, high and uncomfortable. What she must have looked like to Weiss in her stupid flaming red hoodie, soaked to the bone, clutching her backpack to her chest. Ruby didn't dare to look at her, so she stared down at her boots - and look, a wet leaf had gotten stuck in her shoelaces. How interesting that was.

“Come _in_.”

She felt a gentle tug at her shoulder, and she stumbled into the mansion. Her breath hitched when she saw her muddy boots stain the carpet, dark streaks that ate themselves into the beige fabric.

“Take off your shoes and wait here,” Weiss ordered and did not leave much room for a response before darting off.

Trying to move as little as possible, to avoid dirtying the carpet even more, Ruby sat down and tried to concentrate on unlacing her boots. She knew if she looked around too much, she would just end up more awkward. No, overwhelmed might have been a better word. Ruby still wasn't really sure how she’d gone from moping around in her room to sitting on the floor in the Schnee Estate. Fixing her gaze on the knot of her laces, her mind wandered to the evening that had led to this.

After the performance she had endured two days of jokes and jabs from Yang until Ruby finally decided to take out the little note Blake had given her. It took her almost an hour before she could hammer the number into her phone, adding it to her contacts. It had taken another couple of hours to write out an awkward text message, another hour to actually send it.

By then it had been eleven o'clock already and Ruby had collapsed on her bed, short of breath and just a little dizzy. Dozing off, still in her jeans and shirt, she almost fell out of bed when her phone rang. Confused, after all nobody really called people on their phone anymore, she picked it up and then stared at it for what felt like a whole minute. The display said Weiss Schnee, but that clearly must have been wrong, because Ruby was not ready for Weiss Schnee to be calling her.

“Hello?” Ruby whispered into her phone after she had picked up the call with hesitant fingers that had almost hit the wrong button.

“I don't do text,” Weiss answered, no hesitation, no introduction. Her voice sounded brash, louder than necessary.

“Oh.”

Weiss added a moment later, a small pause between this time, her voice quieter.

Ruby liked texts. They were quick and short. Safe and, well, not scary. You could share your thoughts and keep in touch easily, often she would just send one with some random thought she had. Jaune especially would often receive messages out of the blue - everything from sudden cookie cravings, live updates of a movie she was watching to random outbursts of nonsense.

The line was quiet for a while, Ruby was not even sure what they should be talking about. This was bad. Terrible even.

“So, um,” Ruby bit her lip, trying her best to come up with something. She couldn't. Whenever she thought of something to say, thought of things she wanted to ask her, or stories she wanted to share with Weiss, she felt silly mentioning even one. And the last thing she wanted to do was look silly in front of Weiss.

“What are you thinking about?” Weiss asked suddenly. Her voice was still quiet, like the silence had eaten away at her brazen words and only left a shy whisper behind.

Ruby had hesitated in that moment.

“ _Here_.” Weiss’ voice, commanding and loud, ripped Ruby out of her thoughts and suddenly she was back in the mansion. A towel was stretched out to her, Weiss tapped her feet waiting for Ruby to accept it.

“Thanks.”

Taking the towel, Ruby ruffled it through her hair making sure to get every spot dry. She then rubbed her face, enjoying the feel against her skin. It smelt nice, unlike the mansion which lacked any kind of distinct smell. It didn’t smell like nothing, but it also didn’t smell like something. The walls were all painted in a sterile almost grey, and every sound echoed off the high ceiling until it was hollow. She looked up at Weiss. She stood with her back turned to Ruby, waiting, looking off into a hallway. She shifted from one foot to the other, her hands tightly clasped behind her back.

“Um, Weiss, your towel.” Ruby got up and poked Weiss in the shoulder, who whirled around and snatched the towel out of her hands.

“Ah, sorry, you startled me,” Weiss said, staring at the towel in her hands before she started to fidget, eyes anywhere but Ruby. Before Ruby could reassure her, Weiss cleared her throat. With furrowed brows, nose pointing up high, she folded her arms in front of her chest.

“Your hair. It looks ridiculous.” It was a rude comment accompanied with a raised chin and smirk, but Ruby didn't mind, the sudden bravado was charming in a way. ~~~~

A wide grin spreading all over her face, Ruby shook her head, making her hair whip and dance around on her head.

“Better now?”

“No, not really,” Weiss said with a smile sneaking onto her features. “Come, I will lend you some dry clothes and get some order on your tousle-head .”

Ruby followed Weiss like a duckling follows its mother, setting one foot awkwardly in front of the other, her gaze curiously wandering around. She had not known what to expect, something impressive she supposed, but Ruby could not help but frown whenever they walked by the occasional lone vase and flower arrangements. Paintings lined the walls along with exotic souvenirs from travels, all probably expensive, but devoid of any meaning, or at least they had lost all meaning once they had been mounted on walls and ripped out of their cultural context. And what was the use of those paintings when nobody was there to look at them anyway?

“Are your parents around?” Ruby asked, suspecting the answer already, the silence in the mansion speaking for itself. She stopped to stare at a particularly colorful painting, abstract and just a little odd, wild brush strokes layering the paint in patterns Ruby did not understand. It was out of place here, hung in a random hallway, no bench nearby on which Ruby could sit and ponder its meaning. No one would, just another decoration that Ruby was sure was admired maybe once, and after that it had melted into the noise of culture covering the walls of the Schnee mansion.

“No, they are out on business. We do have ground- and housekeepers, a gardener too, they should be somewhere on the property. Probably,” Weiss replied.

“A gardener, huh?” Ruby's thoughts trailed off to the rose garden, and she wondered how it might have looked under a more friendly sky.

“Yes, he is wonderful. I am very thankful for his work.” Weiss smiled as she began walking again. “He is very talented with his hands.”

Nodding along Ruby’s thoughts came to a halt. Wait a second, Ruby thought, was Weiss doing one of Yang's lame innuendos? It sounded like it. It didn't fit her image at all though, but she was still a teenager, and all teenagers crack stupid jokes like that, right? But wasn’t Weiss, well, not interested in men? Why would she make that joke then? But what if she missed that joke and Weiss would end up feeling awkward, while Ruby herself felt awkward already? She decided that there was only one way to know for sure, and asked the only thing that could make things even more awkward.

“Did you just make a dirty joke?”

“What? No! How could you even think that!?” Weiss looked like someone who had bitten into a cookie, only to find out their sister had secretly replaced the sugar with salt. Or when your best friend tried alcohol for the first time and threw up on your feet. Not that these two things had ever happened to Ruby. ~~~~

“Well,” Ruby scratched her right cheek and tried her best to give Weiss an apologetic smile. Truth be told, Weiss's violent reaction was rather amusing. She started to understand the joy her sister felt when teasing her. “I wanted to make sure, I guess?”

“No, I did not,” Weiss snapped back, “tell such a joke. I would never!”

Despite having angered Weiss, Ruby didn’t feel too bad. With Weiss’ outburst Ruby stopped thinking about the paintings on the wall, the silence in the mansion, and could focus on the embarrassed rumblings from Weiss, who wasn’t really that angry anyway.

Abrupt, and still not looking at Ruby, Weiss halted in front of one of the many doors on the second level. This wing had three more doors which all looked the same, but only this one had a sign on it. Splattered with colors, it spelled Weiss' name, letters crooked and uneven in the way only someone who had just learned to write could manage. Sitting under them, was something that could have been a white and a black cat, or at least that was Ruby’s guess. Age had taken its toll on the silly sign, but it seemed well taken care of. Weiss followed Ruby's gaze.

“Ah. Yes, it is rather immature, isn't it?” Weiss smiled.

A smile that Ruby had not seen often, or at _all,_ on the other’s face. Nostalgic and almost gentle. Ruby swallowed a knot in her throat, she stared at Weiss and wished she could draw such a smile, something so small and that could escape someone’s notice if they didn’t look carefully. She wanted to capture it with the pencil and paper in her backpack.

“No, not at all.”

“Blake made it for me the first time she visited,” Weiss explained as she opened the door. “She said that it was scary how all the doors looked the same. I barely remember though, I was very young, I haven’t had the heart to change it since.”

“I like it. It's cute,” Ruby said, “and it really does make this place less scary.”

Weiss’ room was tidy and clean, like the room of a future big-shot manager or whatever had to be, but it didn't feel as icy as the rest of the mansion. The desk, while well-organized, had a bit of clutter. A surprisingly large army of stuffed animals were enthroned on a shelf dedicated just to them lined up and ordered by size they looked like they had never been touched before, with no fuzz out of place, and not a single dirty spot. But with closer inspection Ruby could spot tiny and careful stitches and other proof that the occupants of the shelf had been loved for a long time by now. There was not a lot of color in the room, as Weiss really seemed to be taken with keeping everything in theme with her name, but it looked quite nice, even if Ruby personally wasn't so fond of white. It got way too dirty way too quickly when playing around. The number of ruined dresses over the years spoke for themselves .

If this had been anybody else's room, Ruby would have jumped onto the gigantic bed in a heartbeat. It looked so inviting that Ruby just wanted to dive under the blankets and build the coolest blanket fort the world had ever seen. Behind her Weiss closed the door, cutting them off from the empty halls of the silent mansion. 

“Wait a moment, I will get you some dry clothes,” Weiss said before she vanished behind one of two small closet doors and left Ruby alone under the watchful eyes of her plush toys. Ruby sat down, smoothing out any wrinkles of the sheets before lowering herself, making sure not to disturb the neatly made bet before her.

Ruby did not dare move much at first, firmly pressed into the mattress, but then her hands aimlessly started stroking the incredibly soft sheets. She wondered what it would be like to sleep in those. Like being covered in a lot of fluffy marshmallows, maybe? Another childish thought. Ruby envied Weiss a bit for being able to sleep every night in this dream of white linen.

Ruby's hands stopped immediately. Weiss slept every night in these, and she was rubbing her hands all over them. Hastily she folded her hands in her lap. They felt clammy and sweaty. Ruby swallowed, her eyes darting around the room to find a distraction. Her gaze came to rest on the little drawer beside the bed. On top of it a paperback rested on its spread open pages, pulling at the spine and forming creases. It was a thick book with minimalist cover and written by an author Ruby didn’t know, published by a publisher Ruby would usually barely look at. Beside it lay on its back a phone in a simple white case being charged. 

Looking at it, Ruby thought back to the first call she had with Weiss.

“What are you thinking about?” Weiss had asked then. 

Ruby remembered it almost as if her brain had simply recorded it. Weiss' voice had suddenly lost the sharp edge it carried, its harsh and commanding quality. She had sounded like a girl her age. Soft-spoken even. Now sitting on that girl’s bed, Ruby wondered if Weiss had been sitting right at this spot as they had talked. Maybe playing with her toes or her hair, with rosy color spreading from the tip of her nose to her cheeks. Stupid imaginations taken from bad teen movies, but Ruby couldn’t help herself. What kind of pajamas did Weiss wear? Again, Ruby's fingers started to trace the soft sheets, barely touching it this time, more enamored by the idea that she could and distracted by her own thoughts.

They had talked quite a while that night, Ruby had just rambled, telling Weiss how nervous she had been receiving the call, honesty being her strategy of choice. A long awkward pause followed her ramblings, which made Ruby feel silly. It was not as scary as it had seemed at first, feeling silly in front of Weiss. She felt so silly in fact, that she started giggling. Suddenly this whole thing had seemed incredibly stupid to Ruby. Weiss had given Ruby her number so she could call, so they could 'chat and stuff', and now neither barely knew what to say.

Taking a deep breath and all of the courage she had, Ruby begun talking about whatever came to her mind that night. She had started with mundane things about her everyday life, about her friends and sister, it did not really matter. Weiss proved to be quite a good listener. An occasional comment, a few remarks here and there, calling her an idiot during particularly silly anecdotes, which made Ruby only want to tell even more of them because the insult came with a tiny snort and Ruby imagined Weiss smiling.

As Ruby had gone on, Weiss, too, had started to speak more, fondly recalling memories of growing up alongside Blake. She would talk about her teachers, prim and proper men and women, who cared more about not angering her parents than teaching her, about her lessons, about the book she was reading. 

They had talked about Ruby’s drawings and her portfolio, and how she struggled with finishing her drawings. Ruby had told her about feeling like she needed to learn all these techniques and basics before she could actually make things. Anything she would do now would just be a waste, right? Suddenly the hobby she once had was as rigorous as math. Filled to the brim with rules and laws made up by old men long dead. She would like to do portraits, real portraits of real people, people she knew. That seemed fun, or something like that Ruby had said. She had a person in mind, specifically one person, but she could never have said that, not yet at least. It was too weird, everything about this, about Weiss, felt like it was happening to another, completely different Ruby.

And then Weiss had told her to draw her, voice full of hollow arrogance. Probably meant to be a joke, blustering about her good looks and being a perfect model for a portrait. Or maybe it had been one of those things that one longs to say in earnest but can’t, so you dress them up as jokes. One of those thoughts that were delicate, a step towards something new, so when rejection would strike them down, they could not have been serious in the first place, they could have been nothing more but a misplaced joke.

But once Ruby had heard the offer, she could not think of anything else until she was here in this moment, drenched from the rain, her clothes wrinkled and wet sitting on Weiss’ bed with no clue what to do or say.  
  


When Weiss came back with a bundle of fresh clothing, Ruby was still lost in thought, still trailing the folds of the sheets with her fingers.

“Here, I hope they fit.”

Ruby was relieved to see that Weiss seemed to possess clothing in colors other than chalk white. Actually, she was surprised to see a red cardigan among them. So far, they had met three times, including today, and every time Ruby had worn something red. Had Weiss noticed and picked the cardigan on purpose? Her affinity for red was obvious enough, even her name gave it away. It would have been a nice gesture if intended. Trying not to overthink Weiss' choice of clothing, Ruby turned her back to her and pulled her hoodie and T-Shirt over her head.

“W-what are you doing!?” Weiss shrieked. Her was voice shrill and painful in Ruby’s ears, the clothing, now dropped on the floor, forgotten.

“Huh?” Confused, Ruby looked to her, twisting her neck uncomfortably. She did not understand what the big deal was, at least at first. In school they had to change in front of each other all the time. There were days when Yang walked around their apartment with nothing but underwear. Not to mention her uncle, who did not have much sense when it came to modesty either, much to Ruby and Yang’s embarrassment.

Weiss had her gaze stubbornly fixed on the ground, where the clothes now lay scattered. Only slowly did realization dawn upon Ruby. Weiss had never gone to a public school. Weiss also did not have many friends her age, nor did she have a sister to grow up with. Furthermore, there was that little fact about Weiss that had been sitting in the back of Ruby's mind...

She suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious. Hastily, she picked up the shirt and cardigan and threw them on, missing a few buttons here and there. Cursing herself for being stupid, she looked up at Weiss, who had turned away and begun fidgeting. She must have made Weiss incredibly uncomfortable. After all, for Weiss it was not normal to just change in front of friends. Especially someone she had not met too long ago.

“Is your skirt dry enough, or do you want me to get one of mine?”

“Nah, 's alright,” Ruby mumbled.

“Your stockings are dirty.” Weiss commented as she turned around, her gaze still lowered to Ruby's feet. She seemed to try her best to sound as composed and in control as she usually was, but it was far from convincing.

“Yeah, but they’re black so it's hard to see,” and it wasn't like Ruby actually cared that much, she would have probably even kept on her damp clothes and left her hair dripping wet if Weiss hadn’t intervened.

“I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Ruby said, trying her best to give Weiss a comforting smile. Nothing but a poor imitation, much more a grimace than smile, with her lips pressed to a thin line with forced little tugs at the end. Well, at least she had tried. 

Weiss, on the other hand, was still looking at her feet. It was weird how the girl that had been so composed, so in control on stage, was now so flustered. As Weiss almost shyly looked up, she only grazed Ruby's gaze for a split second before looking away again, but it was enough. Enough for Ruby’s ears to start humming with the rush of blood. She scratched her cheek, which felt warm under the tip of her finger.

“No. I was just surprised, that is all.” Weiss folded her arms in front of her chest. She turned her head to her desk, only looking at Ruby out of the corner of her eyes, as if she couldn't bear it any other way. The blush on her cheeks slowly faded, but a tender pink remained on her skin. Red suited her.

“I'm sorry,” Ruby mumbled again. “We undress in PE all the time and I dunno, I didn't think, you know.”

“I _said_ , it is fine.”

Not wanting to let silence take over, Ruby ripped her eyes from the girl in front of her and again looked around, hoping to find a different topic.

“You really like white, huh?”

“I suppose.”

It had been so much easier to talk over the phone. In her room, her own comfort zone, without having to face the other. Technically she could just try not to look at Weiss while speaking to her, but that would have been rude, and not to mention that Ruby found it incredibly hard not to look. Weiss Schnee was captivating, so captivating in fact, that the urge to draw her had won over any embarrassment.

“So, um...” Ruby fumbled with her bag.

“Oh,” Weiss said and the shade of her rosy cheeks darkened. “You want to start?”

Timid would have been the last word on Ruby's mind in describing Weiss. She had a firm walk and her back was always straight, almost painfully so. But now Weiss was avoiding her gaze, shoulders slightly pulled up as if to protect her long and slim neck . Ruby noted how smooth the skin looked there, especially at the base. She wondered how it would feel under her fingertips. Would Weiss be cold or warm? Would she be able to feel the racing of her pulse, beating under the surface?

And how could she capture all of this? All she felt when she looked at her, each detail that captured her mind? It was still surprising to Ruby that Weiss had offered to be drawn by her. At the same time, it made sense in a way she wasn’t quite ready to really think about. When she talked to Weiss there seemed to be things left unsaid, that would have been clear to see if she only were willing to look, but Ruby still was too afraid to face those things.

The girl sat down beside her, and maybe Ruby was imagining things, but it felt like Weiss was consciously sitting very close to her. In her head she compared how far away she would usually sit down beside her friends, then she felt silly for reading too much into this. Either way, to properly draw her she would have to move further away, but for now Ruby sat still, not wanting to reject whatever Weiss seemed to be offering. A few bad drawings were worth it.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby pulled out a sketchbook and mechanical pencil from the backpack. She stared at her supplies for a while, concentrating and thinking about everything that was not the task before her.

“So, I’ve never done something like this. Do you want me to look into a certain direction or -”

Ruby cut her off, “oh no! Just, I don't know, maybe tilt your head a little and don't move too much.” She quickly opened her sketchbook. She inched away from Weiss, just a little bit, to frame her better while drawing. “Uhm, but you know, we can like, keep talking. It would be weird if we didn’t, so don't worry. Just uhm...”

Ruby was eager to start, her pencil hovering awkwardly over the blank page. But just as she wanted to bring down the lead, she stopped. Where should she start blocking her in? Maybe just do some loose doodles of her first, but what if they did not look good? What if she could not do her justice at all? Not that Ruby thought that she could manage to capture even remotely what she saw in Weiss. It seemed impossible.

After Ruby’s hand sat frozen mid-air for a minute, Weiss spoke up. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it's just scary...”

“As I already told you, I won’t be mad.”

It was not like Ruby was scared of angering Weiss. Weiss had promised not to blow up if she messed her face up and broke a few fictional bones drawing her and Ruby believed her. But Ruby herself just wanted the image to be perfect,to portray what she felt when she looked at the other girl. She wanted it for herself, more than anything.

“My father is still not home,” Weiss said suddenly, “he has been saying he will be home soon for a week already, but in the end, there is not much I can do.”

Ruby looked up from her empty paper. Weiss stared right back at her.

“Mother will be home by dinner though, she promised. Has your Uncle returned by now?”

A tiny smile tugged at the Weiss’ lips.

“Nah, though he’s gonna be back soon,” Ruby replied thinking about her coming birthday and thought about whether she should mention it. Would Weiss want to come to her party, did Ruby even want her there, with all her other friends, did Ruby even want a party right now? She stared at her blank paper for a second before glancing at Weiss’ smiling face. Her back relaxed and the frown marring her face eased.

“Have I told you about how the neighbors almost called the police on Yang a few days ago?” Ruby asked.  
  


Falling into a comfortable rhythm of anecdotes and chit chatter Ruby starting drawing, little sketches discarded as quickly as they were made. It did not bother her, as with every sketch she inched closer to a goal yet not quite defined. Things barely worth being called a doodle turned into portraits, first portraits so generic and standardized Weiss was unrecognizable, but line by line the sketches started to look much more like the girl in front of her.

After telling another story, which ended like most, with Jaune throwing up on something or someone, her frown returned, and her hand came to an abrupt halt.

“Is something the matter?”

“The lower half of the chin is kinda tricky.” Ruby mumbled, her tongue sticking out on the right side. Squinting, she stared at Weiss with her nose wrinkled.

“Oh, is that so?” Weiss seemed to have a hard time not rolling her eyes at Ruby's expression of utter concentration. “You look silly.” She hid a smile behind her hand.

“Well, excuse me! This is the face of an artist you are mocking! I am trying to work!” Ruby really tried not to laugh, and to look as serious as possible. Just like a true artist, right? With a nose held higher and being snobbier than even Miss Rich Girl in front of her.

Weiss sighed and shook her head. “Should I move my head a bit more like this? For practice” She tilted her head laying her neck completely bare, the underside of her chin almost facing Ruby. “Better like this?”

Ruby almost dropped her pencil. Weiss' skin looked so smooth at the nape of her neck and thoughts about Ruby’s fingertips feeling the warmth of her skin there came racing back. She forced her eyes back on her paper, fixating on the tip of her pencil that pressed into the paper, ripping it slightly.

“Yeah! That's um... really helpful and stuff... But uhm, doesn't it like hurt?” Ruby felt a familiar tickling in her cheeks and ears. Her words felt funny in her throat as shaky breaths made it hard to speak.

“Yes, that's why you better start drawing now,” Weiss pressed out between gritted teeth, the strain distorting her face. “Or I will dislocate your neck like this. Permanently.”  
  


“Aw, you don't mean that.”

“Do you wish to test this theory?”

After quite a few quick sketches from different positions, Ruby let out a satisfied sigh. She did not think she was doing that well, but she was getting the hang of it. Drawing Weiss was the most fun she had had in a while. A little bit awkward at first, and staring at her for a prolonged period of time also made her feel the tiniest bit tingly deep in her stomach, but just sitting with her, doodling and chatting away the afternoon felt great.

“You think, I can do like a longer, more detailed one?”

“Certainly, any angle you would like?”

“Just look at me, that would be swell.”

“Swell?” Weiss asked bemused, facing Ruby. The corner of her lips tugged up into a smile, her head slightly tilted. Subtle wrinkles formed around her squinted eyes as she chuckled. She really was not as scary as Ruby had imagined, a lot more expressive, too. To think that she had been so worried, almost frightened by this girl sitting in front of her.

“It’s a completely normal thing to say. My sister says way stranger things sometimes.”

“You clearly have never heard yourself talk.”

Ruby simply stuck out her tongue. Weiss snorted. She did that a lot, undignified and unguarded, Ruby loved it.

“Say, could you let your hair down?” Ruby asked after dismissing quite a few sheets of paper full of sketches rather quickly. “It would frame your face nicely, and your hairdo is ridiculously hard to get right. Like with that twirling and stuff.”

As Ruby looked up again, Weiss' hair had already fallen over her shoulder. The ends curled slightly, and it looked smooth and soft. Ruby forced herself to start, glancing back to her paper, her hand cramping up.

“Would it not have been better to start slower instead?” Weiss wondered as she watched Ruby stiffly move her hand over the paper.

“Ah, no, doing some sketches helps me loosen up.” Even if it did not look like it in the moment. “And like, I think I get your face now.”

“You get my face?” Weiss slowly repeated. One of her eyebrows moved up to the edge of the bangs framing her face.

“Well, like, how your face works. I think I figured it out. Like, how your nose attaches and what forms make it up and stuff.” Ruby frowned for a second and laid her pencil down. “Though, your scar is still… I can’t really do it, I want to keep it impressive, but subtle. Thing is, I can't just put some strokes in your face, looks stupid.”

Weiss clicked her tongue in thought. “You could leave it out? I don't mind.” She crossed her arms over her chest, the tiniest wrinkles appearing on her forehead.

“What, no, I like your scar. It’s just a pain to draw. Like, it's really cool and stuff.”

“Really cool and stuff?” The wrinkles eased and she smiled again, even if it seemed rather condescending. “I guess it is.”

Ruby's pencil hit the paper again. “Say, your dad also has a scar...”

“Oh no, those are very different from mine. It's a Schmiss, or a smite.”

“Gesundheit?” 

“Not quite, it's a dueling scar from something called Mensur. It's an old-fashioned practice of academic fencing in German fraternities. Actually, it was Blake's father, who he has to thank for that one.” Weiss must have seen the shine in Ruby’s eyes, because with an indulging smile on her lips she said, “do you want to hear the story?”

“Really!? Can I!?” Ruby leaned forward; her drawing forgotten.

  
Weiss seemed confident as she began to tell Ruby about her father’s scar, eyes twinkling in amusement, but after just the first sentence she faltered. As she tried to lay the groundwork, just explaining the basics, she immediately began struggle to stay on the topic.

It was a sudden shift; one Ruby did not see coming and did not know how to handle. Each statement was followed by a tangent, with a half sentence or an unspoken and tentative sentiment hiding in the gaps between words and explanations. It was almost like Weiss suddenly did not know what to think, what was important, unable to make up her mind what story she was telling. A story much more a question than an answer emerged from Weiss. The plan of an exciting story derailed into a mess of thoughts Weiss herself did not seem to know she had. 

“My father had just started attending university, back in Germany. Like his father he joined what is called a Burschenschaft, it a student organization usually translated to fraternity, but, well,” as Weiss stumbled and her hands started twitching into broken gestures that changed with every word, every attempt to gather her thoughts. She struggled with what to say next.

“It’s a little more complicated, the cultural and historical context of these organizations,” Weiss’ face had contorted into a grimace as she continued, before taking a deep breath and saying, “never mind, I guess that isn’t the important part right now. Either way they are very old organizations, and only make a up the tiniest slither of the student population. They are very traditional, and dueling is one of their most priced traditions. A duel might not be the right description either, because there are no winners, skill is measured independently from the opponent. There are also strict rules, restricting the participants in their attacks and movements, partly because outside of practice the duels are fight with sharpened weapons. It is quite dangerous.”

Weiss used the momentum, and sped through the explanations while Ruby stared at her, confused by the sudden rush of words.

  
“But like don’t you wear protective gear in fencing?” She interjected carefully, trying to help Weiss along.

“Yes, but for these duels they wear very specific protective gear that only covers certain areas of the face, to make scarring still possible. In fact, one could say that the scarring might be the point, it’s a badge of honor and an identifier of a fellow fraternity student.”

“Wait, the scars are on purpose?”

What was left of Ruby’s excitement was gone. The idea of fraternity boys hitting each other with sabers to mark each other, wearing specific gear to make it possible, was a lot less romantic than the duels she had envisioned.

“Basically,” Weiss said, but added, “you are in luck, my father got his in a story a little more exciting, a little more dangerous. Not that it is ever safe to strike at each other with sharpened weapons. Do you know much of my father’s company?”

“Uh,” Ruby tapped the pencil against the paper while she spoke, a nervous rhythm, she hoped Weiss didn’t expect much, “Pharmacy stuffs?”

“Yes, pharmacy stuff,” Weiss replied, no offense apparent in her voice much to Ruby’s relief.

”It is a pharmaceutical company, and has a long history, a history,” here Weiss stopped once more, a short little break, her eyes flicking from side to side, “that is complicated. It still does not have the best image, but it is much better than the one my grandfather cultivated. Under his leadership the company has caused irreparable damage. One of the worst scandals was a pain killer that had side-effects which led to complications during childbirth and potentially even harmed the child. My grandfather did not handle this well. He barely handled it at all.”

“It was pulled off the market once it became clear what was happening, but the damage was done. The aftermath was not pretty. And that is putting it lightly.” She closed her eyes.

“During all of this father met Blake and Adam's parents. They were part of an exchange program across Europe but most importantly student activists, constantly handing out flyers and organizing protests. The scandal over the medication was a popular topic and example used to criticize the pharmaceutical industry. They held strong opinions, not just about that particular scandal, but about Schnee Dust in general. Public affairs, worker’s rights and health, but especially the environmental impact and patent rights for the medication. My father was not the man he is now, he was defensive and hot-blooded. With all the eyes and media attention on my father at the time, he let himself be provoked by Blake’s father. They antagonized each other in every class they shared, and my father who could not let his pride be hurt at some point just snapped. Asked him to duel him, all bluster, I don’t think he expected Blake’s father to agree.”

The matter of the duel was a quick one, illegally conducted as such duels were not part of the tradition. It was over much faster than the explanation for the tradition itself. Weiss’ father who only knew the rigid academic fencing was not prepared to fight someone who did not care much for such rules and traditions. Struck in the face, pride cut down along with it, Weiss’ father began to listen and so Weiss slowly started to relay a romantic story about a young man who changed his ways after being shown the truth, who struggled and fought, who swore to do better but then Weiss stopped.

“I suppose this is how father would tell it. That is how he told me at least,” she said her smile crumbling at the corners and a sigh hanging in the air.

“Sorry, I do not seem to be in the mood for dashing tales and sword fights after all.”’

“That’s okay, I am sorry if it’s a,“ Ruby hesitated, she wanted to learn more about Weiss but did not wish to pry, “sore subject? Do you wanna talk about it?”

“I mean there isn’t much to talk about, it is after all the truth, in some ways at least. Father does credit Blake’s father for much of his, more, philanthropic decisions, any chance he gets. He loves to talk about his scars, his change, how he turned Schnee Dust around, and he did do that. He cleaned up the company’s image. Invested in greener production pipelines, he donates more money than most people earn in a lifetime,” Weiss replied and shrugged, a gesture that carried more tension than it should have, an unspoken ‘but’ Weiss seemed to struggle to with

“It’s true, if not for Blake’s parents, my father might have turned into a very bitter and different man. They were friends. Father turned Schnee Dust completely around with their advice. Many summers were spent together, all of our families, Adam’s, Blake’s, my family. And not just summers. Without that I would have been a horribly lonely child.”

“After Adam's parents both died a few years ago, we tried taking him in, but he refused. Still, my father tries his best to support him, the way he also tries to help Blake whenever he can.”

Ruby nodded. This story wasless about awesome sword duels than she had hoped for but proved to be intriguing either way. She would be lying if she said she was not curious about Blake's and Weiss' parent’s relationship, was not curious about Adam.

“I hope, that when I take over the company one day, I can continue working on making it a better place. I am grateful to my parents and I am grateful to Blake. I don't think my life would have been as happy without Blake, and I don't know what kind of man my father would have been without her father.”

“But don't you love singing?”

“Certainly, but I made my decision a long time ago.” Weiss smiled at Ruby. She seemed so much older right now, years older than her, years older than Yang.

“On the other hand, the way I got my scar is rather boring.”

“Huh?” The sudden change of flow caught Ruby off guard. Weiss had turned her face away.

“I fell from a tree when playing outside with Blake.” Weiss shrugged. She looked at her wristwatch. “Do you want to stay for dinner? I am sure my mother would not be opposed to company tonight. ”

“Actually, I promised to make Yang dinner tonight, so I probably need to get going soon.” She closed her sketchpad, the portrait left unfinished.

“Do you want me to give you a ride?” Weiss got up, straightening her skirt in one smooth move, shoulders straight, head held high. Seeing her standing, Ruby realized how long her hair was. It rivalled her sister’s and Blake's, no, it had to be even longer. As she turned her head it trailed after her, a cascade of light following her every move.

“Could you help me with this, please?” Weiss held up her hair, indicating that she wanted to put up her ponytail. “Long hair can be quite bothersome sometimes.”

Ruby walked up to her, carefully minding their distance. Afraid of stepping too close but not wanting to be further from Weiss than necessary. It would have been easy inching just a little closer into Weiss’ space, to be near enough to smell Weiss’ perfume just a little better. She hadn’t noticed it before, but now standing behind Weiss, carefully touching her hair she could smell it, faint and gentle. Ruby liked it.

“S-sure. Don’t really know how though, your hairdo looks mad complicated.”

Weiss laughed into her hand. “I guess. Sometimes I wonder why I even keep it like that all the time.”

“It looks really pretty though.”

With wary fingers, Ruby dared to touch the elegant woven strands of hair. As if approaching something electrically charged, like she was about to get zapped hard.

Weiss's hair was as soft as it looked, no, maybe even softer than the linen of the bed they had sat on.

“Thanks. My mother always braided it like this since I was very young. Or at least I’d like to think it was my mother.”

In silence, Ruby continued to braid Weiss’ hair. The only time she had ever had long hair was when she was five, and Yang usually wouldn't let her touch hers, so a lot of little strands peeked out from the sides. It was messy and wild, not as elegant and perfect as it had been. But Weiss seemed to pay it no mind.

“Thanks.”

Shifting her weight from foot to foot, avoiding the mess she had just made on top of Weiss's head, she mumbled a quick, “Your welcome.”

“Should I drive you home? The rain is still going...” Weiss asked again and trailed off, looking outside the window into the muddy scenery.

“Oh no! I'll just take the bus, no worries.” Ruby shook her hands in front of her, pushing the corner of her lips up.

“Then at least let me walk you.”

The walk had been quiet, the two of them huddled under a single umbrella, but for some reason Ruby didn't care. Rain drummed sluggishly on them and in the sky, clouds suffocated the last bit of evening sun that had dared to fall between the trees, swallowing any warmth, leaving everything tinted in a blueish hue . An occasional crack of a branch was the only interruption as easy silence wrapped itself around them. They had talked all afternoon, shared laughter and stories, so they now shared this gentle silence between them.

Any distance Ruby had tried to keep had vanished. Their shoulders and arms bumped into each other as the uneven ground sunk and rose. They seemed to be drawn to each other under the protection of the umbrella.

The forest that had seemed so looming and overwhelming before now gave a strange feeling of privacy and comfort.

In Ruby's opinion, they reached the bus stop way too soon. The big street they came across, ripping through the forest’s idyll, their own little world. The bus would be there soon, would cut through this moment. It left Ruby with regret. Hiding quickly under the little cabin at the bus stop, Ruby tore herself completely from Weiss .

“You should head back,” Ruby said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I'm cool. Thanks for today.”

“You are welcome.” Weiss answered smiling mildly. She gripped the umbrella tightly, seeming to have a hard time leaving.

“You know... I haven't finished that portrait.” Staring at Weiss's boots Ruby sheepishly scratched her cheek. “It would be really awesome if I could continue it some time.”

“Well, you have to give me my clothing back, too.”

“Oh, yeah, I'll wash them and give them back to you then?” Ruby looked up to her. “I'll call you?”

“If you want to, yes. Say hello to your sister for me, and Blake if you see her.” 

“Yeah. Say hi to your mom for me.”

With her rucksack in her hands, Ruby leaned against the wooden cabin. She watched Weiss being swallowed by the woods. Without her heels, she seemed so small.


End file.
